This
course is part of the Harvestime International Institute, a program
designed to equip believers for effective spiritual harvest.

The basic
theme of the training is to teach what Jesus taught, that which took men who
were fishermen, tax collectors, etc., and changed them into reproductive
Christians who reached their world with the Gospel in a demonstration of power.

This
manual is a single course in one of several modules of curriculum which moves
believers from visualizing through deputizing, multiplying, organizing, and
mobilizing to achieve the goal of evangelizing.

8 Harvestime
International Institute

TABLE
OF CONTENTS

How To Use
This Manual . . . . . . . . 2

Suggestions
For Group Study . . . . . . . . 3

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . 4

Course
Objectives . . . . . . . . . 6

1.
Fishers Of Men . . . . . . . . . 7

2. The
Day Of Small Things . . . . . . . . 14

3.
Parables Of Multiplication . . . . . . . 35

4. One Plus One Equals More Than
Two . . . . . . 45

5. An
Introduction To Church Growth . . . . . . 57

6.
Internal Growth . . . . . . . . . 69

7.
Expansion Growth . . . . . . . . 89

8.
Extension Growth . . . . . . . . . 113

9. Bridging Growth . . . . . . . . . 122

10.
Decisions Or Disciples? . . . . . . . . 139

11.
Stunted Growth . . . . . . . . . 160

12. The Extension Training Center . . . . . . . 171

Answers To
Self-Tests . . . . . . . . 188

HOW
TO USE THIS MANUAL

MANUAL
FORMAT

Each
lesson consists of:

Objectives: These are the goals you should
achieve by studying the chapter. Read them before starting the lesson.

Key
Verse: This verse
emphasizes the main concept of the chapter. Memorize it.

Chapter
Content: Study
each section. Use your Bible to look up any references not printed in the
manual.

Self-Test: Take this test after you finish
studying the chapter. Try to answer the questions without using your Bible or
this manual. When you have concluded the Self-Test, check your answers in the
answer section provided at the end of the book.

For
Further Study:
This section will help you continue your study of the Word of God, improve your
study skills, and apply what you have learned to your life and ministry.

Final
Examination: If
you are enrolled in this course for credit, you received a final examination
along with this course. Upon conclusion of this course, you should complete
this examination and return it for grading as instructed.

ADDITIONAL
MATERIALS NEEDED

You will
need a King James version of the Bible.

SUGGESTIONS
FOR GROUP STUDY

FIRST
MEETING

Opening: Open with prayer and
introductions. Get acquainted and register the students.

Establish
Group Procedures:
Determine who will lead the meetings, the time, place, and dates for the
sessions.

Praise
And Worship:
Invite the presence of the Holy Spirit into your training session.

Distribute
Manuals To Students:
Introduce the manual title, format, and course objectives provided in the first
few pages of the manual.

Make
The First Assignment:
Students will read the chapters assigned and take the Self-Tests prior to the
next meeting. The number of chapters you cover per meeting will depend on
chapter length, content, and the abilities of your group.

SECOND
AND FOLLOWING MEETINGS

Opening: Pray. Welcome and register any
new students and give them a manual. Take attendance. Have a time of praise
and worship.

Review: Present a brief summary of what
you studied at the last meeting.

Lesson: Discuss each section of the
chapter using the HEADINGS IN CAPITAL BOLD FACED LETTERS as a teaching
outline. Ask students for questions or comments on what they have studied.
Apply the lesson to the lives and ministries of your students.

Self-Test: Review the Self-Tests students
have completed. (Note: If you do not want the students to have access to the
answers to the Self-Tests, you may remove the answer pages from the back of
each manual.)

For
Further Study:
You may do these projects on a group or individual basis.

Final
Examination: If
your group is enrolled in this course for credit, you received a final
examination with this course. Reproduce a copy for each student and administer
the exam upon conclusion of this course.

MODULE: Multiplying

COURSE: Multiplication Methodologies

INTRODUCTION

The Bible
records the creation of the world and the first man and woman (Genesis 1). The
first command given by God to these newly created people was to multiply:

So
God created man in His own image, in the image of God created He him; male and
female created He them.

And
God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and
replenish the earth, and subdue it...(Genesis 1:27-28)

This
process was not only to be physical multiplication, it was also to be
spiritual. As Adam and Eve multiplied physically they would fill the earth
with others like themselves; people who knew God and walked in fellowship with
Him. They would be reproducing spiritually as well as physically.

The fall
of man into sin interfered with this process (Genesis 3). Sin resulted in
physical death which hindered physical multiplication (Genesis 2:17). It also
caused spiritual death which is the spiritual separation of sinful man from a
righteous God. This hindered spiritual multiplication.

Because
God loved man so much, He made a special plan to save people from this terrible
spiritual death. God sent Jesus Christ to die for the sins of all mankind.
Jesus paid the penalty of death in our place, then He overcame death by rising
again from the dead (John 20).

Each
individual must choose to accept God's plan of salvation by asking forgiveness
for sin and accepting Jesus as Savior.* As a believer in Jesus with sins
forgiven, you are saved from spiritual death.

Although
the physical body will someday die, you will continue to live spiritually and
will receive a new body which will live forever:

___________________

*
The Harvestime International Institute course, "Foundations Of
Faith," explains God's plan of salvation in detail.

...We
shall all be changed...In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye...the dead
shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed...Then shall be brought
to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. (I
Corinthians 15:51, 52, 54)

When you
accept Jesus as Savior, it is like being created by God all over again. The
Bible calls it being "born again":

Jesus
answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be
born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. (John 3:3)

Being
"born again" does not refer to physical birth. It refers to
spiritual birth. You are recreated spiritually as a new creature in Christ.
You are "new" because you no longer live in sin and practice the old
sinful lifestyle:

Therefore,
if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away;
behold, all things are become new. (II Corinthians 5:17)

In the
beginning of the world, God's first command to His newly created people was to
multiply. His first command to recreated, "born-again" believers is
the same. We are to multiply spiritually and fill the earth with others like
ourselves; people who love God and walk in fellowship with Him.

When Jesus
first called men to follow Him, it was a call to spiritual multiplication (Luke
5:10). His last command to believers was to multiply spiritually (Acts 1:8).
To meet the challenge of thousands of people who are dying in sin without the
Gospel, each believer must become reproductive and learn the principles of
spiritual multiplication.

This
course shares Biblical methods of spiritual reproduction which will enable you
to multiply in obedience to God's command. You will learn how to multiply spiritually
as an individual and corporately within the context of the local church. If
you apply the Biblical principles taught in this course, you can be responsible
for the multiplication of thousands of trained and motivated believers.

If you are
taking the Harvestime International Institute courses in order, this is the
third course in Module Three, which focuses on multiplying the spiritual labor
force trained through completion of Module Two.

The
courses in Module Three are "Developing A Biblical World View,@ "Teaching Tactics,@ "Multiplication
Methodologies,@ and "Power Principles.@ These courses develop awareness of the spiritual
need of the world and explain how to meet that need through Biblical teaching
and preaching, multiplication, and the endument of spiritual power.

C Explain how a believer can multiply
spiritually to raise up hundreds of new believers.

C Make your home a center for spiritual
multiplication.

C Summarize principles for internal
multiplication within the Church.

C Summarize principles for expansion
multiplication of the Church.

C Summarize principles for extension
multiplication of the Church.

C Summarize principles for bridging
multiplication of the Church.

C Move converts beyond decision to
discipleship.

C Identify factors that hinder spiritual
multiplication.

C Establish a Harvestime International
Institute as a center for spiritual multiplication.

CHAPTER
ONE

FISHERS
OF MEN

OBJECTIVES:

Upon
completion of this chapter you will be able to:

C Write the Key Verse from memory.

C Identify the first and last commandments of
Jesus to His followers.

C Define "multiplication.

C Explain what is meant by spiritual
multiplication.

C Define "method.

C Define "methodologies.

C Explain what is meant by spiritual "multiplication
methodologies.

C Summarize principles of natural fishing which
are applicable to spiritual fishing.

KEY
VERSE:

And
Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers
of men. (Mark 1:17)

INTRODUCTION

When Jesus
Christ began His public ministry on earth, He called several men to be His
first disciples:

And
Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers
of men. (Mark 1:17)

His first
command to these men was to multiply spiritually. If they followed Him, He
would make them "fishers of men. They would reproduce as they
"fished" spiritually for other men and women.

The last
message of Jesus to His followers was a call to spiritual reproduction:

But
ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall
be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and
unto the uttermost part of the earth.

And
when He had spoken these things, while they beheld, He was taken up; and a
cloud received Him out of their sight. (Acts 1:8-9)

How could
the disciples fulfill this great commission given by Jesus? How could this
small group of people multiply to reach the entire world?

MULTIPLICATION
METHODS

Jesus
revealed specific methods which would enable His disciples to fulfill the
command to reproduce spiritually. The first and most important of these was
given as part of the commission in Acts 1:8. Disciples would multiply through
the endument of power by the Holy Spirit. Other methods were revealed as the
followers of Jesus began to multiply and reach the world with the Gospel.
These methods are recorded in the books of Acts and the Epistles in the New
Testament.

This
course explains these methods of multiplication. It teaches you how to use
them to reproduce spiritually and fulfill God's command. But first, you must
understand what it means to multiply. To "multiply" means to
increase in number by reproduction. Multiplication is the process of
multiplying. When something is multiplied it is reproduced over and over again
in like form.

In the
natural world, men and women reproduce themselves by having children. They
multiply physically. Spiritual multiplication is done by reproducing
spiritually. A believer reproduces by sharing the Gospel with others, leading
them to become believers, and establishing them as disciples of the Lord Jesus
Christ.

The Bible
reveals God's methods for spiritual multiplication. A "method" is a
plan for accomplishing a specific goal. "Methodologies" is a system
of methods which can be combined to reach a goal.

"Multiplication
methodologies" are methods which enable believers to reach the goal of
spiritual reproduction. The goal never changes. We are to reproduce
spiritually and reach the entire world with the Gospel. There are many
different methods by which this goal may be accomplished. These are the
"methodologies,@ or various plans, by which you can
multiply.

When man
cooperates with God's multiplication methods, spiritual reproduction results.
Believers reproduce spiritually within the womb of the Church.

THE
CALL TO ACTION

The men
Jesus first called as disciples were fishermen. They were men of action. They
did not catch fish one at a time. They used big nets to fish and brought in many
fish of all kinds.

When Jesus
called them to be "fishers of men,@ He revealed a similar plan for
spiritual multiplication. His followers were to "catch" men and
women from every nation, culture, language, and ethnic background. Their
spiritual "nets" were to be filled.

Jesus
called men to action. He said He would make them become fishers of men. They
would not just be spectators in God's plan. They would be participators as
they fished for the eternal souls of men and women.

The call
of Jesus is still the same. We are to become fishers of men. If we are not
fishing, then we are not following.

FISHERS
OF MEN

Why did
Jesus use the example of fishing to call His followers?

First, it
was an example they could easily understand. These men made their living by
fishing. It was the thing to which they devoted their time and energy. When
Jesus called them to become fishers of men, they understood that they would
"catch" men spiritually, just as they had caught fish in the natural
world. They also understood the demands of this call. Spiritual fishing would
require a commitment of their time and energy.

Second,
Jesus used the example of fishing to call followers because there are
principles of natural fishing which can be applied spiritually. Here are some
of these principles:

YOU
MUST GO WHERE THE FISH ARE:

If you
want to catch fish, you must go where the fish are. Fish live in water. You
will never catch fish by waiting on top of a mountain or in the middle of a
desert.

As a
believer, you must go where the fish are spiritually. Men and women live in
the world. You cannot wait in the church building for unbelievers to come to
you. You must go into the marketplace, the schools, and the offices and
"fish" wherever unsaved people are found.

YOU
MUST ANALYZE THE ENVIRONMENT:

When you
are fishing in the natural world, it is important to consider the environment.
You must observe the current and depth of the water. You must know if it is
salt water or fresh water. You must observe how the wind is blowing. All of
these natural factors determine the type of bait and the methods you will use
to fish.

The same
is true in the natural world. You must analyze the environment in which you
find men and women. What are their needs? What is happening in their lives?
This will help you determine the method to use in fishing for their souls.

When Jesus
met the woman at the well in John 4, He analyzed the environment in which He
found her. She was seeking natural water. He used this natural need to help
her recognize her spiritual need. The method He used "reeled her in"
to the Kingdom of God.

In the
natural world, if you are using trout fishing methods in salt water you will
never catch trout. Trout do not live in salt water. They live in fresh water.

If you do
not analyze the environment in the spiritual world, you will find yourself
"fishing for trout in salt water" because you do not understand where
people are and how to reach them.

YOU
SHOULD USE DIFFERENT METHODS:

A good
fisherman uses different methods to catch fish. He uses various baits to
attract the fish. He uses different kinds of fishing equipment which may
include fishing rods, nets, spears, or baskets. Different kinds of fish are
attracted by different methods. This is why a good fisherman uses various
methods.

A
fisherman can learn some of these methods in books written about fishing. He
learns other methods by experience and observation. The methods he uses change,
but the goal is always the same...To catch fish.

If you are
to be an effective spiritual fisherman, you must use different methods.
Different people are attracted to the Gospel by various methods. Some are
"reeled in" by teaching and preaching or comfort in time of need.
Others are "caught" by different methods.

The
methods of spiritual fishing are varied, but the goal is always the same...To
catch the souls of men and women.

YOU
MUST CAST OUT AND REEL IN:

Whether
you are using a fishing rod, net, or spear in the natural world, you must cast
it into the waters and draw it out again.

In the
natural world, how you cast into the water is very important. Your casting must
be on target. You must also use care in order to land your fish after catching
it.

In the
spiritual world, we are promised if we "cast out" the Word of God, it
will not return void. It will accomplish its purpose in the hearts and lives
of men and women (Isaiah 55:11). When you use the Word of God, you will be on
target every time. Eventually, it will "catch" men and women.

TIMING
IS IMPORTANT:

The time
of day and seasons of the year affect fishing in the natural world. Some fish
migrate and cannot be caught in certain regions during some seasons. The
biggest fish are caught early in

the day
when they come closer to the surface for feeding. If you fish in the wrong
season or at the wrong time, you won't catch many fish.

Timing is
important in spiritual fishing also. You will learn later in this course how
important it is to "fish" the receptive areas of the world when the
fish are "biting" spiritually.

YOU
MUST BE PATIENT:

A
fisherman in the natural world must be patient. He must wait for the fish to
take the bait or swim into the net. The same is true in the spiritual world:

Be
patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the
husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience
for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. (James 5:7)

SPIRITUAL
REPRODUCTION

Fishing in
the natural world results in multiplication of fish. Fishing in the spiritual
world results in multiplication of men and women in the Kingdom of God.
Natural reproduction results in multiplication of living people. Spiritual
reproduction results in multiplication of spiritual people.

Natural
reproduction is the result of life. Spiritual reproduction is also the result
of life. It does not come through programs and promotions of man. Spiritual
reproduction comes through the spiritual life flow of God.

In the
natural body, reproduction starts in a woman's womb with a single cell of
life. That cell multiplies until a complete body is formed and a new baby is
born.

Spiritual
growth is similar. It starts with the life flow of God in one man or woman.
It multiplies in the spiritual "womb" of the Church. You will learn
how spiritual reproduction starts as you study "The Day Of Small
Things" in the next chapter.

(Answers
to tests are provided at the conclusion of the final chapter in this manual.)

FOR
FURTHER STUDY

The call
of Jesus to multiply spiritually is not an option or a suggestion. It is a
command. Study the following chart which compares the various Biblical records
of the Great Commission. Look up each reference in your Bible. Note the
authority you have to fulfill the command. Observe the extent of your
ministry, its message, and the activities in which you are to engage in the
multiplication process.

Reference The
Authority The Extent The Message The Activities

Matthew "All
authority" All nations All things Disciple
by going,

28:1-20 Jesus
has baptizing, teaching

commanded

Mark Name
of Jesus All the The Gospel Go and
preach,

16:15 world
to heal the sick.

every

creature

Luke Name
of Jesus All nations Repentance Preach,
proclaim,

24:46-49 beginning
at and the and witness

Jerusalem forgiveness

of
sins

John Sent
by Jesus (The extent of the ministry, the message,

20:21 as
He was and the activities are to be the same "as
Jesus".)

sent
by the Father

Acts Power
of Jerusalem, Christ Witness

1:8 the
Holy Judea,

Spirit Samaria,
and

the
uttermost

part
of the world

CHAPTER
TWO

THE
DAY OF SMALL THINGS

OBJECTIVES:

Upon
completion of this chapter you will be able to:

C Write the Key Verse from memory.

C Summarize basic principles of multiplication.

C Identify various types of spiritual growth.

C List references which show that concern with
multiplication is Scriptural.

C Identify factors which reveal a wrong
emphasis on numeric growth.

KEY
VERSE:

For
who hath despised the day of small things? (Zechariah 4:10)

INTRODUCTION

Growth in
the human body starts with a single cell of life which is the result of an
intimate relationship between a man and a woman. That cell is multiplied
within the mother's womb until another human being is created. When it
matures, that new human being also has the ability to multiply.

Spiritual
growth starts with a relationship between one person and the Lord Jesus
Christ. Spiritual life flows into the soul and spirit of one who has accepted
Jesus as Savior. That spark of life, nurtured in the spiritual womb of the
Church, grows until a new disciple is created. That disciple has the ability
to reproduce spiritually by leading others to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Whether in
the natural or spiritual worlds, multiplication starts with a single cell of
life. This is why God said:

For
who hath despised the day of small things? (Zechariah 4:10)

In this
chapter you will start with small things. You will learn basic principles of
multiplication and about various types of spiritual growth. You will learn of
God's concern for spiritual multiplication and of factors which indicate a
wrong emphasis on numeric growth. You will start with basic principles, the
small things upon which the greater revelation is based.

BASIC
PRINCIPLES OF MULTIPLICATION

You must
understand basic principles of spiritual multiplication in order to learn and
apply the methodologies. The Biblical principles of multiplication do not
change, but the methods by which you multiply may vary. The methods change,
but the purpose always remains the same.

The
purpose and principles of God always remain the same, but the strategy to reach
these purposes changes. God's purpose from the beginning of time has been...

...That
in the dispensation of the fullness of times, He might gather together in one
all things in Christ both which are in Heaven, and which are on earth, even in
Him. (Ephesians 1:10)

As the
spiritual life of His people and historical conditions changes among the
nations, God changes His strategy as necessary to accomplish His purposes. For
example, when fathers in Israelite families failed in their spiritual duty, God
raised up the priests. When the priests became corrupt, He called prophets as
spiritual leaders.

Jesus used
many different methods of ministry. He did not deal with all people in the
same way. His methods varied, but His purpose remained the same...To touch and
change the lives of men and women.

Here are
some basic principles you must understand in the "day of small
things" before you begin to multiply:

GOD IS
CONCERNED WITH THE MULTITUDES:

God's
concern has always been with the whole world:

For
God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

(John
3:16)

God is...

...not
willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. (II
Peter 3:9)

Jesus
expressed this same concern when He said:

For
the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

(Luke
19:10)

...for
I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

(Matthew
9:13)

God is
concerned with the multitudes. He is concerned with numbers. He is concerned
with the multiplication of believers who will reproduce and spread the Gospel.
As you begin your study of multiplication methods you must start with the same
concern as God--that of reaching the entire world with the Gospel message.

IT IS
GOD WHO GIVES GROWTH:

Spiritual
multiplication cannot be accomplished apart from God. It is God who gives
growth:

...God
gave the increase. (I Corinthians 3:6)

MAN
MUST COOPERATE WITH GOD'S PRINCIPLES:

There are
principles in God's Word which are applicable to every area of life and
ministry. God works through men who know how to cooperate with these
principles. From the beginning of the world, God has worked on the earth
through man. He gave Adam and Eve the task of keeping the garden. He used a
man named Noah to preserve life on the earth during the flood.

God raised
up Abraham to found the nation of Israel through which He would reveal Himself
to the nations of the world. God also used prophets, kings, and judges to
accomplish His plan in Old Testament times.

In the New
Testament, a man named John the Baptist "prepared the way for the Lord.@ Jesus began His ministry with common men and when He
returned to Heaven He left the destiny of the Gospel in the hands of these same
men. The whole Biblical record is one of man cooperating with the principles of
God to achieve the purposes of God.

This is
true in spiritual multiplication. God does not bypass man to spread the
Gospel. He uses men and women who understand and cooperate with His principles
of multiplication. Paul summarized this cooperative relationship:

I
have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

(I
Corinthians 3:6)

Paul
stressed the urgency for believers to fulfill their responsibility in the plan
of God:

For
whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

How
then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they
believe in Him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a
preacher? (Romans 10:13-14)

JESUS
IS THE FOCUS OF MULTIPLICATION:

Jesus
said:

And
I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

(John
12:32)

Jesus was
speaking here of His "lifting up" on the cross to die for the sins of
all mankind. Through His death, He would draw all men through the power of the
Gospel. When you share the Gospel message, Jesus is lifted up. When He is
lifted up in your life and your church, people are drawn by the power of the
Gospel message. Multiplication is guaranteed when Jesus is lifted up.

THE
WORD OF GOD CAUSES GROWTH:

Jesus told
a parable about growth in Matthew 13:1-9. He explained the parable in Matthew
13:18-23. Read these passages in your Bible. In this parable, the seed represents
the Word of God. God has promised when we plant His Word, it is not done in
vain:

So
shall my Word be that goeth forth out of my mouth; it shall not return unto me
void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the
thing whereto I sent it. (Isaiah 55:11)

...For
I will hasten my Word to perform it. (Jeremiah 1:12)

It is the
Word of God that brings change in the lives of men and women. That change
results in growth and multiplication based on the Word of God.

THE HOLY
SPIRIT ENABLES MULTIPLICATION:

In the
final message of Jesus to His disciples He said:

But
ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall
be witnesses unto me, both in Jerusalem and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and
unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

The power
of the Holy Spirit enables multiplication. The gifts of the Holy Spirit equip
for multiplication. The fruit of the Holy Spirit causes reproduction. We will
examine the role of the Holy Spirit in spiritual multiplication later in this
course.

MULTIPLICATION
IS A SHARED RESPONSIBILITY:

In the
early church, the spread of the Gospel was not left to the full-time pastors,
prophets, evangelists, and teachers. Every New Testament believer was spiritually
reproductive. If we are to reach the world with the Gospel, we must return to
this strategy of the early church. Both leaders and laymen must share the
responsibility for spiritual multiplication. The growth in world population
requires a return to the New Testament plan of ministry by each member of the
Body of Christ. We cannot reach the world through token efforts and
half-hearted dedication.

There are
enough Christians in the world that the entire world could easily be reached
with the Gospel. There lacks only a sufficient number of inspired people to
recognize and respond to the opportunity for multiplication.

The
command given by Jesus to believers is to "go" into all the world
with the Gospel message. You do not have to wait for the command to
"go" because it already has been given. In relation to the spread of
the Gospel, the command is to "go" and watch for the stops, not stop
and wait for the "go.@

TYPES
OF GROWTH

The Bible
speaks of four types of church growth or multiplication:

GEOGRAPHIC
GROWTH:

Geographic
growth was predicted by the Lord Jesus:

But
ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye
shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in
Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

Growth was
to extend geographically throughout the nations of the world.

NUMERIC
GROWTH:

The church
would experience numeric growth as it grew geographically. Numeric growth of
the first church is recorded in the book of Acts. For example, the church had
increased from 12 to 120 in Acts 1:15; to 3,000 in Acts 2:41; and to 5,000 in
Acts 4:4.

ETHNIC
GROWTH:

The early
church experienced ethnic growth also. The Gospel was extended beyond the Jews
to include Gentiles (people of all nations).

SPIRITUAL
GROWTH:

Growth in
numbers is not the only emphasis of spiritual multiplication. As you will
learn later in this course, internal spiritual growth is also important.
Followers of Jesus must grow in spiritual quality as well as quantity:

But
grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ... (II
Peter 3:18)

God's
desire is that we...

Speaking
the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the head, even
Christ. (Ephesians 4:15)

THE
EMPHASIS ON NUMBERS

Some
people ignore the subject of spiritual multiplication and church growth because
they believe an emphasis on numbers is wrong. But in the Bible there are many
records of God's concern with numbers. For examples, see Numbers 1:1-3;
2:23-24; 26:1-4; Revelation 7:9; 20:8; Genesis 22:17; and Hebrews 6:14.

Jesus told
many parables concerning numeric growth. You will study these in another
chapter. He also indicated that careful numeric records are kept in Heaven:

I
say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in Heaven, over one sinner that
repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons which need no
repentance. (Luke 15:7)

Multiplication
is emphasized in the record of the early church in the book of Acts. Summaries
of the growth of the church are recorded in Acts 1:15; 2:41; 4:4; 6:7; 9:31;
12:24; 16:5; 19:20; and 28:30-31.

You must
not ignore the subject of multiplication just because of a few problems with
wrong emphasis. Rather, you must recognize and deal with the problems. There
is a wrong emphasis on multiplication when the following factors are present:

NUMERIC
GROWTH IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN SPIRITUAL:

When
spiritual growth is compromised to attract the crowds, there is a misplaced
emphasis on numbers. Some ministers say only what people like to hear in order
to attract great crowds. The Bible warns that...

...the
time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own
lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears.

And
they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto
fables. (II Timothy 4:3-4)

PRIDE
IS THE MOTIVATION:

Read I
Chronicles 21:18. David's concern with numbers here was motivated by Satan and
was an act of pride. When you begin to take pride in great numbers, your
emphasis is wrong.

EMULATION
IS PRACTICED:

There is a
sin of the flesh mentioned in Galatians 5:20 which is called "emulations.@ Emulations is a form of jealousy which results in
imitating others to equal or surpass their achievements. When you are jealous
of large ministries and begin to imitate them in order to grow, you have a
wrong emphasis on numbers.

EMPHASIS
IS ON CHURCH GROWTH INSTEAD OF KINGDOM GROWTH:

The goal
of spiritual multiplication is winning new converts to Jesus Christ and
discipling them until they become responsible, reproductive members of the
Kingdom of God. There is a difference between church growth and Kingdom
growth. If First Church splits and 100 of their members go to Second Church,
church growth occurs in Second Church, but there has been no Kingdom growth.
Multiplication has not occurred. There has only been a transfer of existing
numbers.

The goal
of multiplication is not to attract new members from another church, but to
reach the unreached with the Gospel. Emphasis on numbers is wrong when the goal
of church growth replaces that of Kingdom growth.

THE
INDIVIDUAL IS IGNORED:

Jesus
ministered to crowds of people during His earthly ministry (Luke 6:17; 7:11;
8:37; 9:14-16; 14:26; 23:27; John 6:2). But Jesus never ignored the individual
because of the crowds. He called individuals out of crowds to minister to them
(John 5:3-13; Mark 5:24-34). In John 4, Jesus ministered to one woman who
brought an entire village to the Master.

In Acts 8
there is the record of a great revival preached by Philip in the city of
Samaria. In the middle of these meetings God spoke to Philip to leave Samaria
and go to the desert between Jerusalem and Gaza.

Philip
immediately left the great revival in which he was ministering. He went from a
densely populated country to a lonely desert. He left the crowds in order to
minister to one man, an Ethiopian returning home from Jerusalem. This one man
was probably responsible for spreading the Gospel to the entire continent of
Africa.

Many years
ago in a missionary service in London, England, only two people attended
because the weather was so bad. The visiting minister made a powerful appeal
for workers among the Indians in North America but thought his time was wasted
because of the low attendance. But one of the two men heard God's call and
yielded his life to Him. Within a month he had sold his business and was
preparing himself to work among the Indians in North America. He spent 35 years
in effective ministry among these people. His name was David Brainard.

Do not
despise little things. Remember, a small candle can do what the sun can never
do...it can shine at night.

EMPHASIS
SHIFTS FROM PEOPLE TO THINGS:

When
multiplication results in church growth, the emphasis sometimes changes from
people to things. Because of growth, a bigger church building may be needed
and efforts are shifted from multiplying disciples to a building program. When
your chief concern is with buildings to accommodate growth, numbers have
caused you to lose sight of the primary goal.

God is
more interested in people than in buildings. The Biblical record of God at
work in the world focuses on people. When multiplication results in a shift of
emphasis from people to material things like buildings, priorities are wrong.

OTHERS
ARE JUDGED ON THE BASIS OF NUMBERS:

Never
judge the spirituality of another person or ministry by numbers. Great numbers
are not always an indication of spirituality. Numeric success in some cases is
mute testimony that the Church has failed to be the Church. Sometimes,
faithfulness to the Word of God and the Lord Jesus Christ may repel rather than
attract. For example, when Jesus began to teach the unpopular message of His death,
many of His followers deserted Him (John 6:52-64).

There are
other reasons why growth may not be evident. The Bible teaches there are
certain seasons for spiritual growth just as there are growth cycles in the
natural world. In the natural world, during certain seasons of the year some
plants do not reproduce. They have no leaves or fruit and look like a dead
branch sticking out of the ground. But in the right season, these plants will
blossom and fruit and leaves will come forth.

The same
is true in the spiritual world. There are certain times when specific areas of
the world are more receptive to the Gospel than others. By studying the
patterns of growth you can concentrate your spiritual forces in fields
"ripe unto harvest.@

God's
numeric system is not the same as that of man. We add in order to increase
numbers. But sometimes God subtracts in order to add. When Ananias and
Sapphira were subtracted from the church because of sin (Acts 5), believers
were added (Acts 5:14). Sometimes God uses division to multiply. When Paul
and Barnabas were divided, God multiplied the missionary force (Acts
15:36-41). Occasionally God reduces a number in order to accomplish a great
purpose. Read the story of Gideon in Judges 7.

Never
judge a ministry or an individual on the basis of numbers. Do not
"despise" small things. When a young boy offered his bread and two
tiny fish to Jesus, it met the needs of a crowd of hungry people. God still
takes insignificant things, blesses them, and uses them mightily for His glory.

COME
FORTH BEARING SHEAVES

Fearing
wrong emphasis on numbers should not prevent the study and application of
multiplication methods. The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) makes
it clear that God expects you to multiply what you have been given and that
fearful excuses are not acceptable. Jesus told His followers:

Say
not ye, there are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? Behold, I say unto
you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to
harvest. (John 4:35)

When God
sends harvesters in to the spiritual fields of the world, He wants them to come
out with sheaves, not excuses:

They
that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

He
that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again
with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him. (Psalms 126:5-6)

6. TRUE OR FALSE: If the
statement is True, write "True" on the blank in front of it. If the
statement is false, write "False" on the blank in front of it:

a.________Concern
with numbers is not Scriptural.

b.________If
a church is not growing, they are not spiritual.

(Answers
to tests are provided at the conclusion of the final chapter in this manual.)

FOR
FURTHER STUDY

The book
of Acts in the Bible tells the story of multiplication in the early church.
Use the following outline to study this New Testament book. This outline
follows the multiplication plan of the Lord given in Acts 1:8 for the extension
of the Gospel from Jerusalem to Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost parts of the
world.

Author
of Acts: Luke

Written
To: The book is
written to all believers, although it is specifically addressed to Theophilus.

Purpose
Of The Book:
This is stated in Acts 1:1-2. The book concerns what Jesus continued to do and
teach after His ascension through His spiritual Body, the Church.

Key
Verse: Acts 1:8

OUTLINE

Introduction

Acts
1:1-ll

I. Introduction:
1:1-2

A. To:
Theophilus: 1:1

B. Concerning:
What Jesus continued to do and teach after His ascension

through
His spiritual Body, the Church: 1:1-2

II. The
ministry of Jesus after the resurrection: 1:3

A. Its
duration: Forty days: 1:3

B. Its
purpose: Infallible proof: 1:3

C. Its
message: The Kingdom Of God: 1:3

III. The final meeting of
Jesus with His disciples: 1:4-8

A. The
command to the disciples: 1:4-5

B. The
question of the disciples: 1:6

C. The
caution to the disciples: 1:7

D. The
commission to the disciples: 1:8

IV. The
ascension of Jesus into Heaven: 1:9-11

A. Description
of the ascension: 1:9

B. Declaration
of His second coming: 1:10-11

Part
One: Forming The Witness In Jerusalem

Acts
1:12-7

I. The
forming of the witness: 1:12-2:4

A. Christ's
disciples waiting in Jerusalem: 1:12-26

l. The
gathering of the disciples: 1:12-15

a. Their
meeting place: 1:12-13

b. Their
number and names: 1:13-15

c. Their
purpose: 1:14

2. The
exhortation given to the disciples: 1:15-22

a. The
speaker: Peter: 1:15

b. The
message 1:16-22

(l)
Background: 1:16-20

(2)
Instructions: 1:21-22

3.
The response of the disciples: 1:23-26

a. The
nomination: 1:23

b. The
prayer: 1:14-25

c. The
election: 1:26

B. The
baptism in the Holy Spirit: 2:1-4

l. The
occasion: 2:1

2. The
people: 2:1

3. The
place: 2:1

4. The
event: 2:2-4

a. The
wind: 2:2

b. The
tongues as of fire: 2:3

c. Speaking
in tongues: 2:4

Part
Two: Functioning Of The Witness In Jerusalem

Acts
2:5-7

I. The
first witness: 2:4-40

A. The
manner in which the witness was given: 2:4-8

B. The
reaction to the witness: 2:7-13

C. The
sermon by Peter: 2:14-36

l. Prophecy
concerning the time: 2:17

2. Prophecy
concerning the spirit: 2: 17-18

3. Prophecy
concerning the event: 2:19-20

4. Prophecy
concerning salvation: 2:21

5. The
work of Jesus: 2:22-36

a. Jesus
was approved of God: 2:22

b. Jesus
was crucified: 2:23

c. Jesus
arose from the dead: 2:24-32

d. Jesus
is exalted at God's right hand: 2:33-35

e. Jesus
is now the Lord and Christ: 2:36

D. Response
to the message: 2:37-40

l. Conviction:
2:37

2. Inquiry:
2:37

3. Instruction:
2:38

4. Promises:
2:38-39

5. Exhortation:
2:40

II. The
first local church: 2:41-47

A. Membership
of the first church: 2:41

l. Their
identity: They which received the Word.

2. Their
number: 3,000

B. Spiritual
practices of the first church: 2:42

l. The
apostles' doctrine.

2. The
fellowship of the saints.

3. Communion.

4. Prayer.

C.
The life pattern of the first church: 2:44-46

l. Voluntary
communal system: 2:44-45

2. Daily
worship and testimony: 2:46

3. Fellowship
in the homes: 2:46

4. Unity:
2:46

D. The
witness of the local church: 2:46-47

l. Nature
of the witness: 2:46-47

2. Results
of the witness: 2:47

III. The
first miracle: 3:1-26

A. The
miracle described: 3:1-11

l. The
setting: 3:1

2. The
man and his need: 3:2-3

3. The
message: 3:4-6

4. The
miracle: 3:7-8

5. The
reaction of the multitude: 3:9-11

B. The
miracle explained: 3:12-18

l. The
man was not healed by the power of the apostles: 3:12

2. The man was healed by
God for the purpose of glorifying Jesus: 3:13-15

3. The
man was healed by faith in the name of Jesus: 3:16

4. The man was healed to
demonstrate the fulfillment of prophecy: 3:17-18

C. The
message of Peter: 3:19-26

l. The
promise made by Peter: 3:19-21

a. What
God challenged Israel to do: 3:19

b. What
God promised He would do: 3:19-21

2. The
prophecy of the prophets: 3:22-26

a. The
prophecy by Moses and the prophets: 3:22-24

b. The
promise of the covenant: 3:25

c. The
plan of the Messiah: 3:26

IV. The
first opposition: 4:1-31

A. The
arrest: 4:1-4

l. Source
of the opposition: 4:1

2. Reason
for the opposition: 4:2

3. Form
of the opposition: 4:3

B. The
trial: 4:5-14

l. The
court: 4:5-6

2. Questions
of the court: 4:7

3. Statement
by Peter: 4:8-12

a. Source
of his answer: 4:8

b. His
answer: 4:9-10

c. His
testimony concerning Jesus and salvation: 4:10-12

4. The
evidence considered by the court: 4:13-14

a. The
character of the witnesses: 4:13

b. The
testimony of the man who was healed: 4:14

5. The
decision: 4:15-22

a. The
consultation: 4:15-17

b. The
decision: 4:17-18

c. The
response of Peter and John: 4:19-20

d. The
release: 4:21-22

6. The
reaction: 4:21-31

a. The
prayer of the church: 4:23-30

b. The
activity of the church: 4:31

V. The
first discipline of sin: 4:32-5:16

A. Organization
of the church: 4:32-37

l. Its
fellowship: 4:32

2. Its
witness: 4:33

3. Its
economy: 4:32-37

B. The
first sin disrupting the fellowship: 5:1-10

l. The
sin: 5:1-2

2. Exposure
of the sin: 5:3-4

3. Disciplining
of the sin: 5:5-10

C. The
results of discipline: Fruitful witness of the fellowship: 5:11-16

l. Reverent
attitude of the members: 5:11

2. Unity:
5:12

3. Miraculous
signs: 5:12, 15-16

4. Community
response: 5:12-14

VI. The
first persecution: 5:17-43

A. Source
of opposition: 5:17

B. Action
of the opposition: 5:18

C. Deliverance
by God: 5:19-26

l. His
act: 5:19

2. His
command: 5:20

3. Response
to His command: 5:21

4. The
discovery of His act: 5:21-23

5. The
results of His act: 5:24-26

D. Trial:
5:27-40

l. Indictment
by the Sanhedrin: 5:27-28

2. Defense
made by Peter: 5:29-32

3. Investigation
by the Sanhedrin: 5:33-39

4. Injustice
of the decision of the Sanhedrin: 5:40

E. Response
to persecution: 5:41-42

l. Rejoicing:
5:41

2. Unity:
Met daily together: 5:42

3. Witnessing:
Teaching and preaching: 5:42

VII. The
first organization: 6:1-7

A. The
need for the organization: 6:1

B. The
organization suggested: 6:2-4

l. Source
of the suggestion: 6:2

2. The
reason for the suggestion: 6:2

3. The
suggestion: 6:3

4. The
advantage of the suggestion: 6:4

C. The
organization set up: 6:5-6

l. The
method used: 6:5-6

2. The
men chosen: 6:5

3. Their
ordination: 6:6

D. The
results of the organization: 6:7

l. The
word increased: 6:7

2. The
disciples multiplied: 6:7

3. Obedience
to the faith: 6:7

VIII. The
first martyr: 6:8-8:1

A. The
description of Stephen: 6:3-15

l. One
of the seven: 6:3,5

2. Filled
with the Holy Ghost: 6:5

3. A
man of good reputation: 6:3

4. A
man of faith: 6:5

5. A
man of wisdom: 6:3, 10

6. A
man with special power: 6:8

7. An
effective witness: 6:9-10

B. The
persecution of Stephen: 6:11-15

C. The
message of Stephen: 7:1-53

l. Abraham:
7:1-8

2. The
patriarchs: 7:9-16

3. Moses:
7:17-43

a. In
Egypt: 7:17-28

b. In
the wilderness: 7:29-43

4. The
tabernacle: 7:44-50

a. Of
Moses: 7:44

b. Of
Joshua: 7:45

c. Of
David: 7:45-46

d. Of
Solomon: 7:47-50

e. Of
God: 7:48-50

5. The
prophets: 7:51-53

D. The
witness of Stephen: 7:54-8:1

l. The
attitude of the council: 7:54

2. The
announcement by Stephen: 7:55-56

3. The
action of the council: 7:57-59

4. The
death of Stephen: 7:59-8:1

Part
Three: The Witness In Judea and Samaria

Acts
8-12

I. Transition:
Results of the death of Stephen: 8:1-4

A. The
persecution: 8:1,3

B. The
burial of Stephen: 8:2

C. The
extended witness of the church: 8:4

II. The
witness of Philip: 8:5-40

A. Ministry
in Samaria: 8:5-25

l. The
witness of Philip: 8:5-13

a. The
work of Philip: 8:5-7, 12

b. The
response of the Samaritans: 8:6-12

c. Simon
the Sorcerer: 8:9-13

2. The
work Peter and John: 8:14-17

a. The
coming of Peter and John: 8:14

b. The
coming of the Holy Spirit: 8:15-17

c. The
response of Simon: 8:18-19

d. The
warning of Simon: 8:20-24

B. Ministry
to the Ethiopian: 8:26-40

l. Preparation:
8:26-28

2. The
witness: 8:29-35

3. The
response: 8:36-38

C. Transition
to Azotus: 8:39-40

III. The
witness of Saul: 9:1-31

A. The
conversion of Saul: 9:1-9

l. His
purpose: 9:1-2

2. His
vision: 9:3-9

3. The
voice: 9:4-7

4. The
blindness: 9:8-9

B. The
commissioning of Saul through Ananias: 9:10-19

l. The
call: 9:10-16

2. The
commission: 9:17-19

C. The
mission of Saul: 9:20-31

l. Saul
at Damascus: 9:20-25

a. His
witness: 9:20-22

b. The
response: 9:21-23

c. His
escape: 9:23-25

2. Saul
at Jerusalem: 9:26-30

a. His
reception: 9:26-28

b. His
activity: 9:28-29

c. His
departure: 9:29-30

D. Transition:
Rest in the church: 9:31

IV. The
witness of Peter: 9:32-12:35

A. At
Lydda: 9:32-35

l. The
believers: 9:32

2. The
sick man: 9:33

3. Healing
of the sick man: 9;34

4. The
response: 9:35

B. At
Joppa: 9:36-43

l. The
death of Dorcus: 9:36-37

2. The
call of Peter: 9:38-39

3. The
ministry of Peter: 9:40-41

4. Response
to the ministry: 9:42-43

C. At
Caesarea: 10:1-48

l. Cornelius'
vision: 10:1-8

a. The
man Cornelius: 10:1-2

b. The
vision of Cornelius: 10:3-6

c. The
response of Cornelius: 10:7-8

2. Peter's
vision: 10:9-22

a. The
vision: 10:9-12

b. The
voice: 10:13-16

3. The
arrival of the messengers: 10:17-22

4. The
visit to Cornelius' house: 10:23-48

a. The
journey: 10:23

b. The
reception: 10:24-27

c. The
explanation: 10:27-28

d. The
question: 10:29

e. The
answer: 10:30-33

f. The
unfinished sermon: 10:34-43

(1) God
is no respecter of persons: 10:34-35

(2) Spread
of the Gospel: 10:36-37

(3) The
Gospel message: 10:38-43

g. The
response of Cornelius: 8:44-48

D. At
Jerusalem: 11:1-12:25

l. The
problem of Gentile conversion: 11:1-18

a. The
problem: 11:1-3

b. The
explanation of God's work among the Gentiles: 11:4-17

(l) The
vision: 11:4-10

(2) The
visitors: 11:11

(3) The
visit: 11:12-16

c. The
decision: 4:18

V. The
church in Antioch of Syria: 11:19-30

A. Evangelization
of Antioch: 11:19-21

B. Visit
by Barnabus: 11:22-24

C. Saul
chosen as pastor-teacher: 11:25-26

D. Information
revealed by Agabus: 11:27-30

VI. Persecution
led by Herod: 12:1-25

A. The
murder of James: 12:1-2

B. The
arrest of Peter: 12:3-4

C. The
deliverance of Peter 12:5-19

D. The
death of Herod: 12:20-23

VII. The
declaration of the Word: 12:24-25

Part
Four: Witness To The Uttermost Parts Of The Earth

Acts
13-28

I. The
first missionary journey: 13:1-14:28

A. The
call to ministry: Acts 13:1-3

B. Ministry
in Paphos in Cyprus: 13:4-12

C. Ministry
in Antioch in Pisidia: 13:13-50

l. Transition
to Pisidia: 13:13-16

2. The
message: 13:17-37

a. The
exodus deliverance: 13:17

b. The
wilderness wanderings: 13:18

c. The
conquest of Canaan: 13:19

d. The
rule of Saul and David: 13:20-23

e. The
ministry of John the Baptist: 13:24-25

f. Crucifixion
and resurrection of Jesus: 13:26-37

g. The
invitation: 13:38-41

3. The
response: 13:42-50

D. Ministry
in Iconium: 13:51-14:5

E. Ministry
in Lystra: 14:6-25

F. Ministry
in Syria: 14:26-28

II. The
Jerusalem council: 15:1-35

A. The
problem: 15:1-3

B. The
sessions: 15:4-21

l. First
public session: 15:4-5

2. Private
session of the apostles and elders: 15:6

3. Second
public session: 15:7-21

a. Peter's
report: 15:7-11

b. Paul
and Barnabas' report: 15:12

c. James'
report: 15:13-21

C. The
decision: 15:19-21

D. The
letters: 15:22-35

III. Second
missionary journey: 15:36-18:22

A. The
argument: 15:36-41

B. Ministry
at Lystra: 16:1-5

C. Ministry
at Troas: 16:6-10

D. Ministry
at Philippi: 16:11-40

E. Ministry
at Thessalonica: 17:1-9

F. Ministry
at Berea: 17:10-14

G. Ministry
at Athens: 17:15-34

H. Ministry
at Corinth: 18:1-18

I. Ministry
at Ephesus: 18:19-21

J. Jerusalem
and Antioch: 18:22

IV. Third
missionary journey: 18:23-21:14

A. Asia
Minor: 18:23

B. Ministry
in Ephesus: 18:24-19:41

l. Apollos:
18:24-28

2. Disciples
of John: 19:1-7

3. School
of Tyranus: 19:8-12

4. The
sons of Sceva: 19:13-17

5. Dedication
of the converts: 19:18-20

6. The
decision: 19:21

7. Defenders
of Diana: 19:23-41

C. Ministry
in Macedonia and Greece: 20:1-5

D. Ministry
in Troas: 20:6-12

E. Ministry
in Miletus: 20:13-38

l. The
journey: 20:13-16

2. Meeting
with the elders from Ephesus: 20:17-35

a. Review
of his ministry: 20:17-21

b. Facing
the future: 20:22-24

c. Paul's
conscience: 20:25-27

d. The
warning 20:28-31

e. Commended
to God: 20:32

f. Paul's
example in labor: 20:33-35

3. The
farewell: 20:36-38

F. Ministry
in Tyre: 21:1-6

G. Ministry
in Ptolemias: 21:7

H. Ministry
in Caesarea: 21:8-14

V. The
final visit to Jerusalem and the trip to Rome: 21:15-28:31

A. Jerusalem:
21:15-23:32

l. Transition
to Jerusalem: 21:15-17

2. Rumors
against Paul: 21:18-30

a. That
he had degraded the law of Moses: 21:18-26

b. That
he had desecrated the Temple: 21:27-30

3. The
reaction of Paul: 21:23-26

4. The
rescue of Paul: 21:30-32

5. Replies
by Paul: 21:33-23:10

a. The
Jewish crowd: 22:1-23

b. The
Roman centurion: 22:24-26

c. Chief
captain: 22:26-30

d. The
Sanhedrin: 23:1-10

(l) Paul's
confession: 23:1

(2) Encounter
with the high priest: 23:2-5

(3) A
divided court: 23:6-10

6. The
revelation to Paul: 23:11

7. Revenge
against Paul: 23:12-15

8. Rescue
of Paul: 23:16-32

a. The
plot revealed: 23:16-22

b. The
letter: 23:25-30

c. The
escape: 23-32

B. Caesarea:
23:33-26:32

l. Before
Felix: 23:33-24:27

a. The
accusations of Tertulius: 24:1-9

b. The
answer of Paul: 24:10-21

c. The
response of Felix: 24:22-27

2. Before
Festus: 25:1-12

3. Festus
and Agrippa: 25:13-27

4. Before
Agrippa: 26:1-32

a. Paul
speaks for himself: 26:1-23

b. Invitation
to the Savior: 26:24-29

c. The
verdict: 26:30-32

C. En
route to Rome: 27:17-28:31

l. The
storm: 27:1-44

2. The
serpent: 28:1-6

3. The
healing: 28:7-10

4. The
journey continues: 28:11-15

D. Rome:
28:16-31

l. Meeting
with the Jews: 28:16-29

2. Ministry:
28:30-31

CHAPTER
THREE

PARABLES
OF MULTIPLICATION

OBJECTIVES:

Upon
completion of this chapter you will be able to:

C Write the Key Verse from memory.

C Define the word "parable.@

C Explain why Jesus used parables.

C Identify principles of multiplication in
parables taught by Jesus.

KEY
VERSE:

And
with many such parables spake He the Word unto them, as they were able to hear
it. (Mark 4:33)

INTRODUCTION

This
lesson focuses on principles of multiplication taught by Jesus during His
earthly ministry. A parable is a story which uses an example from the natural
world to illustrate a spiritual truth.

The actual
meaning of the word "parable" is to "lay beside, to compare.@ In parables, Jesus compared natural examples with
spiritual truths. A parable is an earthly story with a Heavenly meaning.

WHY
PARABLES?

The
disciples once asked Jesus why He used parables to teach spiritual truths:

And
the disciples came, and said unto Him, Why speaketh thou unto them in
parables? (Matthew 13:10)

Jesus
answered:

...Because
it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to
them it is not given. (Matthew 13:11)

Understanding
of spiritual truths taught in parables was given to the disciples because they
had spiritual minds. Those without spiritual minds heard the parables and
failed to understand them. Spiritual truths can only be understood by a
spiritual mind:

But
the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are
foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually
discerned. (I Corinthians 2:14)

A
spiritually minded man is one who has been born again spiritually. Those with
spiritual minds understand the principles revealed in parables. Those with
carnal, sinful minds cannot understand.

THE
GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM

When Jesus
commissioned His followers to reach the world with the Gospel message, He
said...

And
this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness
unto all nations: and then shall the end come. (Matthew 24:14)

The Gospel
you are to spread to the world is the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Its message
includes the birth, life, and ministry of Jesus. It includes His death for the
sins of all mankind and His resurrection from the dead. You are to tell people
how to enter the Kingdom of God through spiritual rebirth and teach them how to
live the new life of the Kingdom.*

PARABLES
OF MULTIPLICATION

Jesus told
many parables about the Kingdom of God. Among them were parables about how the
Kingdom would spread throughout the world. The following parables about the
growth of the Kingdom reveal basic principles of multiplication. Look up each reference
in your Bible and read the parable:

The Lost Sheep: Matthew 18:12-14; Luke
15:4-7

The Lost Coin: Luke 15:8-10

The Lost Son: Luke 15:11-32

These
parables reveal God's concern for the lost and the urgency with which you
should seek to bring them into the Kingdom of God. It does not matter why
they are lost. The sheep had

____________________

*
Further instruction on this subject is given in the Harvestime International
Institute course entitled "Kingdom Living.@

wandered
away. The coin was lost through carelessness. The son was lost through his own
rebellion. You are to make every effort to find those lost in sin. You are
to go where they are, not wait for them to come to you. God is not concerned
with how men are lost, only that they be found.

The Empty Banquet Table: Luke 14:15-23

Multiplication
should not stop just because some refuse to respond to the invitation of the
Gospel. You are to seek the spiritually hungry and bring them into the banquet
prepared by the Lord.

The Barren Fig Tree: Luke
13:6-9

Jesus told
a parable about a barren fig tree. The fig tree is a natural symbol of the
nation of Israel. God raised up Israel as the nation through which He could
reveal the Kingdom to the world. God tried to get the "tree" of
Israel to bring forth "fruit" among heathen nations by sharing their
knowledge of the true God. But Israel remained barren and unfruitful.

Now God
has raised up the Church for this purpose. God nurtures believers in an
attempt to make them productive, just as He did the nation of Israel. His
purpose is the same: We are to bring forth fruit among the heathen by sharing
our knowledge of the true God. God is not pleased with trees that produce no
fruit.

The Talents: Matthew
25:14-30; Luke 19:11-27

The Man On A Long Journey: Mark 13:34-37

The Servants: Matthew
24:43-51; Luke 12:39-46

The Watching Servants: Luke 12:36-38

The Faithful Manager: Matthew
25:14-30

These
"servant" parables emphasize wise stewardship of the message of the
Kingdom which has been entrusted to believers. Each believer is given
"talents" or special abilities to use in spreading the Gospel.
Whether your abilities are great or small, you must multiply what God has given
you.

Each
servant is required to multiply. When Jesus returns to earth, those who have
properly used their abilities will be rewarded (Luke 16:10-12). Those who have
not multiplied are considered unfaithful:

For
the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then
He shall reward every man according to his works.

(Matthew
16:27)

Jesus
recognized the principle of percentage in the multiplication process:

For
unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required; and to whom men
have committed much, of him they will ask the more.

(Luke
12:48)

The
Kingdom of God is spread by wise use of the spiritual talents given by God. If
you use what God has given you, your talents will increase. If you do not use
it, you will lose it.

The Sower: Matthew
13:3-8; Mark 4:3-8; Luke 8:5-8

The Gospel
of the Kingdom is spread by sowing the seed of the Word of God. There can be
no multiplication without the Word. The fruit depends on the life that is in
the seed itself (the Word of God) and the response of the soil (man's response
to the Word of God). There will be varied responses to this sowing of the
Word.

Your
responsibility is to sow. As you sow the seed of the Word of God, some soil is
ready and yields a harvest. Other soil is not responsive and yields very
little. Even Jesus encountered unresponsive soils in His earthly ministry:

And
He could do there (his own country) no mighty work, save that He laid His hands
upon a few sick folk and healed them.

And
He marveled because of their unbelief...(Mark 6:5-6)

The Tares And The Wheat: Matthew 13:24-30

As you
multiply the Kingdom by adding new believers, Satan will try to defeat the
process. He will sow people described as weeds among the good seed of God's
Kingdom.

Some of
the people who profess to be believers and come into the church through
multiplication are not sincere. They are weeds planted by Satan.

Jesus does
not want you to spend time and effort trying to separate the weeds from the
wheat. Keep sowing the seed and multiplying. In the day of harvest when Jesus
returns, the weeds will be separated from the harvest.

The Fishing Net: Matthew
13:47-50

Jesus
compared the growth of the Kingdom of God to a great net thrown into the sea.
All kinds of fish enter, but when the net is drawn to shore the good fish are
separated from the bad.

The
Kingdom will draw in men and women from all nations. Many will enter. Some
will be sincere, others will not. In the final day of judgment when God draws
in the net, the good and bad "fish" will be separated. You are not
called to separate, you are called to fish.

The Mustard Seed: Matthew
13:31-32; Mark 4:31-32; Luke 13:19

The
Kingdom of God will multiply like mustard seed. The mustard seed is very small
in the beginning, but in maturity it grows to great size. The Kingdom of God
on earth had a small beginning. When Jesus returned to Heaven after His
earthly ministry, He left behind a small group of followers to spread the
Gospel. That small group of believers has multiplied to thousands of followers
in many nations.

The Leaven: Matthew
13:33; Luke 13:21

Like
leaven in a lump of dough, the Kingdom of God will multiply to spread
throughout the whole "lump" of the world. Like leaven, the power of
the Kingdom is not external but it is internal.

The Vine And The Branches: John 15:1-16

This
parable describes the relationship between Jesus and the fruit-bearing
process. He is the spiritual vine and we are the branches. You cannot bear
fruit alone. You are reproductive only as you are attached to the life flow of
the branch, Jesus. Jesus wants to prune your life of everything that is not
reproductive so you will bring forth spiritual fruit that remains.

The Harvest: Matthew
9:37-38; Luke 10:2

In this
parable, the field is the world. The harvest is the multitudes of men and women
ready to respond to the Gospel message. A great harvest waits to be reaped by
the spiritual laborers of God.

OTHER
MULTIPLICATION PRINCIPLES

Jesus
taught other multiplication principles in brief statements:

Light Of The World: Matthew
5:14-16; Luke 8:16

The
Kingdom will multiply as believers appear like lights from a city located on
high ground which can be seen from miles around. We are to bring the light of
the world (Jesus) to a world filled with spiritual darkness. The Kingdom will
multiply as people are drawn to the light.

Salt Of The Earth: Luke
14:34

In Bible
times, salt was rubbed into meat to preserve it from decay. Believers are the
"salt" to be rubbed into the world with the message of preservation
(salvation). The Kingdom will multiply as men are saved from the
"decay" (spiritual death) of sin.

Treasures In Heaven: Matthew
6:19-21; Luke 12:15

Believers
are not to be concerned with multiplying treasures of the world. The
multiplication to which you are called is spiritual multiplication. As you
share the Gospel, you multiply your spiritual treasures in Heaven.

The Broad Gate: Matthew
7:14

You cannot
judge the right way in terms of numbers only. The way to Hell draws many while
the way to eternal life is found by few.

Many Works: Matthew
7:22

Many
wonderful works will be done by many people. On the surface there will be
growth and multiplication. But doing many great works is not necessarily the
same as doing God's will and accomplishing His purposes. God's work must be
done by His people in His way.

Little Is Much: Matthew
10:42; Matthew 14:15-21

Everything
done in the name of Jesus, even that which seems small, is productive. The
miracle of the loaves and fishes illustrate how God multiplies and uses what
little we have to offer.

Growth Requires Change: Mark 2:21-22; 7:13

New growth
requires change. You cannot contain the new in old vessels of tradition and
sinful lifestyles. The powerful potential of the Word of God is hindered by
men who cling to traditions and refuse to change.

Gain By Losing: Mark
8:34-37; 10:29-30

Receive By Giving: Luke
6:38

Worldly
principles teach that you gain by obtaining more and more. Jesus taught that
you gain everything when you lose everything. What appears to be loss in the
natural world is gain in the spiritual world.

Death Brings Life: John
12:24

Through
the death of Jesus, many received eternal life. To multiply, a seed must die.
Through death comes life. To be a reproductive disciple you must die to the
desires of your flesh. You must be "dead" to sin. You must abandon
your own way to follow Jesus.

The Church On The Rock: Matthew 16:18

The
Kingdom of God is founded on the rock Christ Jesus. There is no growth without
Him. Jesus said, "I will build my Church.@
He said no man could enter into it unless the Father draws him (John 6:44).

Opposition
was to be expected, but the "gates of Hell" cannot defeat the plan of
God for the growth of His Kingdom:

With
men, this is impossible; but with God, all things are possible.

(Matthew
19:26)

...all
things are possible to him that believeth. (Mark 9:23)

THE
GREATEST PRINCIPLE OF MULTIPLICATION

The
greatest principle of multiplication taught by Jesus was given in His final words
to the disciples. His command revealed the basic plan for the spread of the
Gospel and the multiplication of converts and disciples:

Go
ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost;

Teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with
you alway, even unto the end of the world.

(Matthew
28:19-20)

Go
ye into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature.

(Mark
16:15)

And
He said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer,
and to rise from the dead the third day:

And
that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all
nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

And
ye are witnesses of these things. (Luke 24:46-48)

But
ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye
shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria,
and unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

SUMMARY

The
teachings of Jesus reveal that He is not pleased with:

-Fishing
without catching.

-An
empty banquet table.

-Sowing
without reaping.

-A
tree that bears no fruit.

-Lost
sheep not brought into the fold.

-A
lost coin that is sought but not found.

-Lost
sons that do not return.

-Unproductive
servants.

-Unresponsive
spiritual soil.

-Ripe
harvests that are not reaped.

Our
Father, who is not willing that one person should perish, is interested in
results through spiritual multiplication:

Even
so, it is not the will of your Father which is in Heaven that one of these
little ones should perish. (Matthew 18:14)

The
Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is
longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all
should come to repentance. (II Peter 3:9)

4. On a separate paper,
briefly describe the multiplication principle taught in each of the following
parables:

The
empty banquet table:

The
barren fig tree:

The
lost sheep, coin, and son:

The
servant parables:

The
sower:

The
tares and the wheat:

The
fishing net:

The
mustard seed:

The
leaven:

The
vine and the branches:

(Answers
to tests are provided at the conclusion of the final chapter in this manual.)

FOR
FURTHER STUDY

1. From age 12 to the start
of Christ's public ministry, the Bible does not give a detailed account of what
occurred in His life during this time. Only one verse reveals the spiritual
growth process occurring during this period:

And
the child (Jesus) grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the
grace of God was upon Him. (Luke 2:40)

To
be effective, spiritual growth must always precede public ministry.

2. As the end of time
approaches, Satan will use his own principles of multiplication. Study the
following references:

-Many
false prophets shall arise: Matthew 24:11

-Many
people will be deceived: Matthew 24:11

-Iniquity
will increase: Matthew 24:12

-Many
will fall away from the truth of the Gospel: II Thessalonians 2:3

-Persecution
of believers will increase: Matthew 24:9-10

-Profane
and vain babblings will increase: II Timothy 2:16

CHAPTER
FOUR

ONE
PLUS ONE EQUALS MORE THAN TWO

OBJECTIVES:

Upon
completion of this chapter you will be able to:

C Write the Key Verse from memory.

C Define the word "witness.@

C Define the term "laity.@

C Define the term "clergy.@

C Explain what is meant by the
"calling" of the laity.

C Explain God's plan of multiplication for the
spread of the Gospel.

C Name two New Testament men used as examples
of this multiplication process.

C Explain how to get started in spiritual
multiplication.

C Begin to multiply spiritually.

KEY
VERSE:

And
the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit
thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

(II
Timothy 2:2)

INTRODUCTION

Growth in
the human body starts with one cell of life. That cell multiplies over and over
again until a human baby is formed. After birth, the process continues in the
child. Human cells continue to multiply and growth occurs. The same is true
in the spiritual world. Each person who has experienced new life in Jesus is
similar to a living cell in the human body. Each believer must reproduce
spiritually. The Gospel is spread as believers continue to multiply in this
way.

This
chapter reveals your personal responsibility in this spiritual process. You
will learn of the plan of God for spiritual multiplication which makes "1
plus 1" more than two.

THE
CHALLENGE

The
challenge of Jesus to believers is to reach the entire world with the Gospel
(Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8). Today we live in a growing world. Thousands of new
human beings are born each day. The population of the world is increasing
rapidly.

There are
many unreached people groups in the world who have never heard about Jesus.
These groups consist of millions of individuals who have not yet been reached
with the Gospel. Many villages and communities have no church. In many
nations, there are not enough trained pastors for the churches that do exist.

How can we
ever achieve this great challenge of Jesus to reach the whole world with the
Gospel?

GOD'S
PLAN

God has a
special plan for reaching the world with the Gospel. Jesus summarized it when
He told His disciples...

But
ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall
be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and
unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

Here is
God's plan: The Holy Spirit is the divine power behind the multiplication
process, Jesus Christ is the content of the message, and the whole world is to
be the recipient of the message.

Disciples
are the agents of multiplication. God's method is for each disciple to bear
"witness" of the Gospel message. To "witness" is to tell
what you have seen, heard, or experienced. In a court of law, a witness is one
who testifies about someone or something. As a witness, you are to testify
about Jesus and His plan for the salvation of all mankind. There are two kinds
of evidence presented by witnesses in a court of law. One is testimony which is
verbal witness about the subject. The other is evidence which is visible
proof.

The Holy
Spirit helps you bear witness to the Gospel both verbally and through the
demonstration of God's power.

DIVISION
BETWEEN CLERGY AND LAITY

God's plan
is for each disciple (believer) to be a witness of the Gospel. The early
church grew as they followed this plan. Each believer shared the Gospel and was
reproductive spiritually. Their homes became centers of multiplication (you
will learn more about this in a later chapter). The church grew and multiplied
as individual believers bore witness to the Gospel.

As the
church grew, God called some people to serve full-time as pastors,
evangelists, prophets, teachers, and apostles. Over a period of time,
believers became part of one of two divisions in the church. They were either
"clergy" or "laity.@

The word
"laity" comes from a Greek word which means "belonging to the
chosen people of God.@ The basic meaning of the word is
"all the people of God.@ The terms "layman" or
"laity" came to be used for those who were not serving in special
full-time functions in the church.

The term
"clergy" developed to identify professional ministers in the
church. Clergy refers to those who consider the ministry their profession and
who usually are employed full-time by the church. They may or may not be
ordained by a denomination.

Over a
period of time in church history, a gradual separation developed between clergy
and laity. Many laymen stopped reproducing spiritually. They began to leave
the challenge of reaching the world to the full-time clergy.

No
professional clergy can ever accomplish what the entire Church was commissioned
to do. This is one of the reasons we have not yet reached the world with the
Gospel. Believers have shifted their personal responsibility to the clergy.
The Bible does teach division of labor in the Church, but every person is to be
involved in the spread of the Gospel. (Read Acts 6:1-6).

As the
church at Jerusalem multiplied, it became necessary for a division of labor to
meet all the needs in the church. The leaders gave themselves full-time to
study of the Word and prayer. Laymen performed duties like ministering to the
widows and other such tasks of serving. But although believers served in
different offices in the church, they were all involved in the spread of the
Gospel.

Stephen
was one of the laymen chosen for serving tasks, yet he bore powerful witness to
the Gospel (Acts 6:8-11). Philip was another layman chosen for serving tasks.
He shared the Gospel with the Samaritans (Acts 8:5-12).

When
persecution came in Jerusalem and believers scattered to other cities they
continued to be witnesses of the Gospel:

Therefore
they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word. (Acts
8:4)

For true
believers, there is no division between sacred and secular because Jesus is
Lord of all.

THE
CALLING OF THE LAITY

If you are
to really understand the spiritual call of the laity, you must go back to the
Old Testament. God's plan was for the entire nation of Israel to be
"priests" or ministers:

And
ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation...

(Exodus
19:6)

As
priests, each person in Israel was to be a witness of the one true God to
unbelievers around him.

The
establishing of an official priesthood did not change God's plan for Israel.
The priesthood was like the "clergy" of today with special leadership
roles. But the entire nation was still to serve as ministers of the message of
God to heathen nations.

In the New
Testament, believers are given a similar calling. They are to be priests or
ministers of the Gospel:

But
ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar
people; that ye should shew forth the praise of Him who hath called you out of
darkness into His marvelous light. (I Peter 2:9)

The
calling of believers is to bear witness of God who has brought them out of
spiritual darkness into the "light" of Jesus Christ (John 9:5).

Believers
are told to "walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called"
(Ephesians 4:1). There is one calling and that is to bear witness to the
Gospel message. It is the vocation of all believers. Each person is
accountable for their response to this call.

The call
is not based on education or natural ability. God uses ordinary laymen in
order that He alone may receive the glory:

For
ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not
many mighty, not many noble, are called:

But
God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise, and God
hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are
mighty;

And
base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea,
and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are. That no flesh
should glory in His presence. (I Corinthians 1:26-29)

THE
MULTIPLICATION PROCESS

In the
Bible, God reveals a special plan to enable believers to fulfill their
calling. Multiplication is a basic principle of all growth in the natural
world. Growth does not take place by adding just one unit to another. Living
cells multiply. Each new cell produced has the ability to reproduce.

God's plan
of multiplication is similar in the spiritual world. Paul summarized this plan
when he wrote these words to Timothy:

And
the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit
thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

(II
Timothy 2:2)

Paul told
Timothy to select faithful men and commit to them the things he had been taught
by Paul. These faithful men were to have the ability to teach others. Through
this organized plan of reproduction, the Gospel would spread throughout the
world.

To see how
God's plan of multiplication works, study the chart on the following page.
This chart uses the period of a year as the average time necessary to convert
someone to the Gospel and train him to be a reproductive Christian. In
reality, the process could take more or less time, depending on the person
involved, so it is not possible to set a firm time limit. But if a believer
would reach just one person and disciple them each year and have them pledge to
disciple one person each year, the world could easily be reached with the
Gospel message.

Observe on
the chart that during the first year the believer is discipling one person. At
the end of that year, there are now two faithful men, the believer and the new
convert he has discipled. (You will learn more about this process of
discipling later in this course.) During the next year, each of them reach one
person with the Gospel and disciple them. At the end of the second year, there
is a total of four people, each of whom will disciple one person the following
year.

DISCIPLER(S) DISCIPLE(S) TOTAL

YEAR 17 65,536 65,536 = 131,072

YEAR 16 32,768 32,768 = 65,536

YEAR 15 16,384 16,384 = 32,768

YEAR 14 8,192 8,192 = 16,384

YEAR 13 4,096 4,096 = 8,192

YEAR 12 2,048 2,048 = 4,096

YEAR 11 1,024 1,024 = 2,048

YEAR 10 512 512 = 1,024

YEAR 9 256 256 = 512

YEAR 8 128 128 = 256

YEAR 7 64 64 = 128

YEAR 6 32 32 = 64

YEAR 5 16 16 = 32

YEAR 4 8 8 = 16

YEAR 3 4 4 = 8

YEAR 2 2 2 = 4

YEAR 1 1 1 = 2

GOD'S
DIVINE STRATEGY OF MULTIPLICATION AND MOBILIZATION

Now, take
an average church membership of approximately 100 people. Increase this chart
to 100 people each reaching one person with the Gospel and training them to be
reproductive and you can see how we could easily reach the entire world with
the Gospel. Multiplication is faster than addition. Here is a diagram that
illustrates addition:

Addition:
1+1+1+1+1...continue to grow one by one

Here is a
diagram that illustrates multiplication. In this process, each person goes on
to multiply himself and "one plus one" results in more than just two:

Multiplication: 1x1x1x1x1...you continue to
multiply

x x x x x

1 1 1 1 1...each
one you reach continues to multiply

x x x x x

1 1 1 1 1

x x x x x

. . . . .

. . . . .

. . . .
.

c c c c c...each
one they reach continue to multiply

o o o o o

n n n n n

t t t t t

i i i i i

n n n n n

u u u u u

e e e e e

s s s s s

THE PROCESS IN THE EARLY CHURCH

The
following diagram shows the first stages of multiplication resulting from
Andrew, one of the first disciples of Jesus:

AndrewºPeterºOthersºOthers

7

PentecostºOthersºOthers

1. Andrew
shared the Gospel with his brother, Peter.

2. Peter
shared the Gospel on the day of Pentecost in Jerusalem.

3. Peter
continues to share the Gospel with others who also become reproductive.

4.
Thousands of believers scattered from Jerusalem continue to spread the Gospel.

5. Each
person they reach becomes reproductive and the process continues.....

Here is a
diagram showing the first stages of spiritual multiplication resulting from the
Apostle Paul:

AnaniasºPaulºOthersºOthers

7

TimothyºOthersºOthers

7

Faithful menºOthersºOthers

1.
Ananias is used of God to raise up Paul.

2. Paul
disciples Timothy.

3. Paul
continues on to disciple others.

4.
Timothy disciples "faithful men" who can teach others.

5. Faithful
men reach others.

6. These
"others" continue the multiplication process.

7. Each
person in the network continues to multiply.

ORDINARY
PEOPLE

The Bible
tells little about the man named Ananias referred to in the above diagram. He
was not known of man, but he was used of God to raise up the Apostle Paul.
Andrew was a common, uneducated fisherman. But look at the chain of spiritual
multiplication for which he was responsible!

You may
not be well known by man. You may not be well known in your community or
church denomination. You may be an ordinary person who works at ordinary
tasks. But God can use you to multiply disciples.

Read the
story of the healing of the lame man in Acts 4. When Peter and John appeared
before the Council, it was obvious that they were uneducated, common men:

Now
when they saw the boldness of Peter and John and perceived that they were
unlearned and ignorant men, they marvelled; and they took knowledge of them
that they had been with Jesus.

And
beholding the man which was healed standing with them, they could say nothing
against it. (Acts 4:13-14)

These
"common" men had received new life through Jesus Christ. The life
within them resulted in spiritual reproduction. Jesus entrusted the laity
with the responsibility of spreading the Gospel. He took fishermen from their
boats and made them into fishers of men. He believed that ordinary people
could become extra-ordinary when empowered by the Holy Spirit.

Gideon was
a farmer. Paul was a tentmaker. Moses was a shepherd. Luke was a doctor and
Joseph was a great political statesman. Whatever your education or occupation,
God can use you in His plan.

Where you
are and who you are is not important. It is what you are doing where God has
placed you. The key to effective spiritual multiplication is to be God's man or
woman, in God's place, doing God's work, God's way.

HOW
TO BEGIN

The New
Testament reveals that the Gospel spreads the most rapidly along existing
social networks. By this we mean that you can spread the Gospel easiest to
your own social group of friends, relatives, and co-workers.

For
example, Jesus called one fisherman named Andrew. Andrew shared the Gospel
with a relative named Peter. They shared with other fishermen with whom they
worked. Soon a whole group of fishermen were following Jesus.

In daily
life and work the laity is not just fragments of the church scattered in the
community who come together for worship and fellowship. Laymen are ambassadors
of the Kingdom to their relatives, friends, and co-workers. The world of work,
school, family, and community is your arena of ministry.

In Luke
16:19-31 read the story of the rich man who went to Hell. This man wanted to
return to share the Gospel with his family but it was too late. Do not wait
until it is too late to share the Gospel with those in your own social network.

SPIRITUAL
GIFTS AND MULTIPLICATION

The true
evidence of baptism in the Holy Ghost is becoming a powerful witness of the
Gospel. The power of the Holy Spirit enables believers to multiply spiritually
(Acts 1:8).

One way
the Holy Ghost empowers believers is through spiritual gifts. Each believer is
given spiritual gifts to equip him to minister to others. These gifts are
supernatural abilities given by the Holy Spirit.

If you do
not know what spiritual gifts God has given you, order the Harvestime
International Institute course entitled "Ministry of The Holy Spirit.@This course deals with the subject
of spiritual gifts.

A
MODERN EXAMPLE

Nothing
can defeat God's plan of multiplication of the Gospel through the witness of
individual believers. Here is a modern example:

After
years of missionary work in the nation of China, the church numbered fewer than
one million when missionaries were expelled by the government. Pastors were
imprisoned, Bibles burned, and churches closed. But thirty years later, when a
measure of openness returned to China and reports were available, the number of
believers was estimated to be from 10 to 50 million.

Although
the churches had been closed and pastors imprisoned, ordinary believers
continued to reproduce spiritually. Nothing can stop God's plan for the spread
of the Gospel.

GROWTH
OF THE KINGDOM

Every
believer must become reproductive. But mere multiplication of believers is not
enough. Believers must become a functional part of the Church which is the
corporate body uniting all true believers. The Church must also multiply
itself. The Church must experience internal spiritual growth and progress on
to expansion, extension and bridging forms of growth. You have learned of your
responsibility to multiply individually. In the following chapters you will
learn how to multiply corporately within the context of the local church.

(Answers
to tests are provided at the conclusion of the final chapter in this manual.)

FOR
FURTHER STUDY

1. In the last chapter you
studied parables of multiplication. Review the following parables again. In
these parables each individual was responsible to faithfully multiply:

-The
talents: Matthew 25:14-30; Luke 19:11-27

-The
man on a long journey: Mark 13:34-37

-The
servants: Matthew 24:43-52; Luke 12:39-46

-The
watching servants: Luke 12:36-38

-The
faithful manager: Matthew 25:14-20

2. Read the conversation
between Jesus and Peter in John 21:15-22. In Acts 10:22 read the words Jesus
spoke to Paul at the time of his conversion.

Your
concern should not be with whether or not others fulfill their responsibility
to spread the Gospel. You should not question like Peter, "What shall
this man do?" Your concern should be as Paul, "What shall I do,
Lord?"

CHAPTER
FIVE

AN
INTRODUCTION TO CHURCH GROWTH

OBJECTIVES:

Upon
completion of this chapter you will be able to:

C Write the Key Verse from memory.

C Identify the true Church.

C Explain how the Church started.

C List illustrations used in the Bible to
describe the Church.

C Identify Scriptural purposes of the Church.

C Identify four types of Church growth.

C Summarize the ministries of the Holy Spirit
in relation to church growth.

KEY
VERSE:

And
I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my
Church; and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.

(Matthew
16:18)

INTRODUCTION

In the
last chapter you learned of the responsibility of each believer to multiply
spiritually by sharing the Gospel message. God has a special plan for new
believers raised up by this process. They are to become part of a fellowship
of believers known as the Church. Believers are to reproduce individually
within the context of the Church. As new believers are born again into the
Kingdom of God, the Church is multiplied.

This
chapter introduces God's plan for the Church as a center of spiritual
multiplication. The following four chapters deal with specific types of church
growth.

THE
CHURCH

When we
speak of the "Church,@ we are not talking about a
man-made organization or denomination. It is not a product of history or the
result of a plan thought up by man.

The word
"Church" actually means "the called out ones.@ When we speak of the Church, we are talking about
the world-wide fellowship of all true believers who have been called out of the
world into the Kingdom of God.

For
purposes of ministry, this world-wide fellowship of believers is divided into
local groups of believers. These local groups are also called the Church.
Some of these local groups have remained independent. Others have joined
together in organizations such as the Assemblies Of God, Baptist, Methodist,
etc.

You do not
become part of the true Church by joining an organization. You become part of
the true Church by being born again into the Kingdom of God. This is done by
confessing and repenting from sin and accepting Jesus as your personal Savior.
After you become a believer, God's plan is for you to become part of a local
fellowship of believers which is part of the true Church.

HOW
THE CHURCH BEGAN

In the Old
Testament the nation of Israel was chosen as the group of people through which
God would reveal Himself to the nations of the world. Over and over, Israel
failed in this responsibility.

In New
Testament times when Jesus came to earth, Israel rejected Him as their
Messiah. Because of this, God raised up another group of people through which
to reveal Himself to the world. That group is called the Church.

The first
mention of the word "Church" is when Jesus explained how the Church
would be built:

And
I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my
Church; and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.

(Matthew
16:18)

In this
passage Jesus revealed that Peter would be one of the spiritual foundation
stones of the first church. This meant he would be important in its growth and
development. Peter's name actually meant "a rock or a stone.@

Jesus then
said of Himself, A...upon THIS rock I will build my
Church.@ He indicated that the Church
would be established upon Him. He would be THE rock upon which the Church was
built. There would be many other lesser stones (people like Peter). In fact,
believers are called "living stones" which are part of the structure
of the Church:

Ye
also as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to
offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.

(I
Peter 2:5)

The
foundation of these "living stones" is a "Rock.@ That Rock is Jesus and it defines the limits of the
Church. A Church is not a true Church unless it is built upon the Lord Jesus
Christ.

Over the
years many different church denominations have developed for purposes of
organization and ministry. If they are a true Church founded on Christ, they
are all part of the one world-wide fellowship of believers:

There
is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

One
Lord, one faith, one baptism.

One
God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
(Ephesians 4:4-6)

Jesus said
the "gates of Hell " would not prevail against the true Church. This
implied that the Church would experience great opposition from Satan, but would
not be defeated.

The book
of Acts in the Bible records the first opposition to the Church (Acts 8).
Throughout history to the present time, the Church has received much
opposition, but it still exists and it will continue to exist. It will fulfill
the purposes of God.

HOW
THE CHURCH IS DESCRIBED

The Bible
uses several illustrations to describe the Church. These examples reveal much
about the structure and purpose of the Church. Look up each of the following
references in your Bible. The Church is described as:

A new
man: Ephesians 2:14-15

The Body
of Christ: Ephesians 1:22-23; 5:30; I Corinthians 12:27

The temple
or building of God: Ephesians 2:21-22; I Corinthians 3:9,16: I Timothy 3:15;
I Peter 2:5

The flock
of God: John 10:1-29; I Peter 5:3-4; Hebrews 13:20; Acts 20:28

There is
one Church but it is referred to in the Bible in different ways. It is called:

The Church
of God: Acts 20:28; I Corinthians 1:2;10:32; 11:22; 15:9; I Timothy 3:5; I
Thessalonians 2:14

The Church
of the living God: I Timothy 3:15

The Church
of Christ: Romans 16:16

The Church
of the firstborn: Hebrews 12:23

The Church
of the Saints: I Corinthians 14:33

The people
of God: Hebrews 4:9; I Peter 2:9-10

SCRIPTURAL
PURPOSES FOR THE CHURCH

There are
many purposes of the Church revealed in the Bible. Its members are to be
engaged in:

WORSHIP
OF GOD:

The
greatest purpose for which man was created was to worship God. Worship is a
central purpose of the Church. Study the following verses: I Peter 2:5,9; I
Corinthians 14:26-27; John 4:23-24; Ephesians 2:19-22.

SERVICE
WITHIN THE BODY:

Members of
the Church are to serve by ministering to needs of each other:

-These
needs may be material needs: Acts 11:27-30; Acts 6:1-6.

-Members
are to freely share their substance with others: Acts 2:44;4:32, 34,37

-Members
should also show care for the spiritual needs within the Body of

-They
supported the apostles' labor in other fields: Philippians 4:15-16

-They
shared letters from the apostles: Colossians 4:16.

-They sent
representatives to one another: Acts 11:22,23,27; 15:1,2; I Corinthians 16:3,4

-They
encouraged one another as models of the faith: II Corinthians 1:24; 9:2; I
Thessalonians

1:7-10;
2:14

-They
cooperated in the common cause of evangelism: I Thessalonians 1:8.

MISSION:

The Church
exists for mission, not just for meetings of worship and fellowship. The
purpose of both Israel in the Old Testament and the Church in the New Testament
was to reveal God to the world.

In the Old
Testament, Israel was to be a witness to the heathen nations around them. The
strategy of God was for nations to come and see His power revealed in Israel.
In the New Testament, God's strategy was different. His plan was for the
Church to go to the nations as His witnesses. The true mission of the Church
is summarized in Ephesians:

To
the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might
be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, According to

the
eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Ephesians
3:10-11)

Having
made known unto us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure,
which He hath purposed in Himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of
times, He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in
Heaven, and which are on earth, even in Him.

(Ephesians
1:9-10)

The
mission of the Church is summarized as follows:

1. The Church is to present
Jesus to the world as Lord and Savior. The Church is to lead people into right
relationship with Jesus so they may experience forgiveness of sins and new
life.

2. Through water baptism
teaching, and preaching, the Church is to establish believers in the doctrine,
principles, and practices of Christian living. They are to teach converts to
"observe all things" commanded in the Word of God.

3. The Church is to
organize new believers into functioning local fellowships.

4. These established
churches are then to repeat this process to win new believers and establish new
fellowships.

If the
Church fulfills its Scriptural purposes, four types of growth will result:

INTERNAL
GROWTH:

Internal
growth refers to the spiritual growth of the people within the church.

EXPANSION
GROWTH:

Expansion
growth is growth in numbers which occurs when the mission of evangelism is
fulfilled by the Church. New believers are won and incorporated in to the Body
of Christ.

EXTENSION
GROWTH:

A church
extends when it starts new churches in similar cultures.

BRIDGING
GROWTH:

Bridging
growth occurs when the Gospel is shared across cultural boundaries with people
of another race, ethnic group, or nation.

Here is
a diagram that illustrates the different types of Church growth:

Internal:

º»

Expansion:

»º

Extension:

º

Bridging:

º

You will
study each of these types of growth in the next four chapters which concern
multiplication within the local Church.

THE
HOLY SPIRIT AND CHURCH GROWTH

The Holy
Spirit is the spiritual power behind all types of church growth:

But
ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye shall
be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and
unto the uttermost part of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

This verse
shows how the Holy Spirit enables:

Internal
Growth: The
disciples would receive a new spiritual experience in this special outpouring
of the Holy Spirit. This would enable them to become powerful witnesses of the
Gospel.

Expansion
Growth: The
church would multiply in Jerusalem.

Extension
Growth: The
Church would extend to plant new churches in other similar cultures (Judea).

Bridging
Growth: The
Church would bridge cultural gaps to reach other regions like Samaria and the
"uttermost parts of the earth.@

The Bible
teaches that the Holy Spirit has many ministries. He was active in the creation
of the world, was the inspiring force of the written Word of God, was active in
the earthly life and ministry of Jesus, and serves many functions on behalf of
the believer.

The Holy
Spirit reveals the truth of the Gospel and draws men and women to salvation.
The Holy Spirit even has a ministry concerning Satan. He is the restraining
spiritual force that limits the power of Satan (Isaiah 49:19). Each of His
ministries are discussed in detail in the Harvestime International Institute
Course entitled "Ministry Of The Holy Spirit.@

The Holy
Spirit also has specific ministries affecting the growth and development of the
Church:

THE
HOLY SPIRIT FORMED THE CHURCH:

On the Day
of Pentecost recorded in Acts 2:1-41 the Holy Spirit formed the Church. The
Bible teaches that the Church is the habitation of God built by the Holy
Spirit:

Now
therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the
saints, and of the household of God;

And
are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ
Himself being the chief corner stone;

In
whom all the building fitly framed together growth unto a holy temple in the
Lord;

In
whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit.
(Ephesians 2:19-22)

THE
SPIRIT INSPIRES WORSHIP:

The
worship of the Church should be inspired by the Holy Spirit:

But
the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father
in Spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship Him.

God
is a Spirit; and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in
Truth. (John 4:23-24)

For
we are the circumcision, which worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ
Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. (Philippians 3:3)

THE
SPIRIT DIRECTS MISSIONARY ACTIVITIES:

This is
evident in the record of the missionary activities of the first Church:

Then
the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. (Acts
8:29)

Now
when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were
forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia,

After
they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia; but the Spirit
suffered them not.

And
after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia,
assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto
them. (Acts 16:6,7, 10)

As
they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me
Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.

So
they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from
thence they sailed to Cyprus. (Acts 13:2,4)

THE
SPIRIT SELECTS MINISTERS:

Some
denominations appoint or elect ministers to serve in the Church. Many people
go to college or seminary to be trained as ministers. But the requirement set
by Scriptures is that ministers be called and selected by the Holy Spirit:

Take
heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy
Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which He hath
purchased with His own blood. (Acts 20:28)

THE
SPIRIT ANOINTS PREACHERS:

Paul
wrote:

And
my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in
demonstration of the Spirit and of power. (I Corinthians 2:4)

THE
SPIRIT GUIDES DECISIONS:

Acts
chapter 15 records a special meeting of leaders to discuss various problems in
the Church. Their final decision was guided by the Holy Spirit:

For
it seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden
than these necessary things. (Acts 15:28)

THE
SPIRIT BAPTIZES THE CHURCH WITH POWER:

The book
of Acts opens with the record of this great event:

And
when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one
place.

And
suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it
filled all the house where they were sitting.

And
there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as a fire, and it sat upon each of
them.

And
they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues,
as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:1-4)

This
baptism was the powerful force behind the internal, expansion, extension, and
bridging growths of the Church recorded in the remainder of the book of Acts.

7. This chapter discussed
seven purposes of the Holy Spirit in relation to church growth and development.
How many can you list?

__________________ _____________________

__________________ _____________________

__________________ _____________________

_____________________

(Answers to tests are provided at
the conclusion of the final chapter in this manual.)

FOR
FURTHER STUDY

1. Here are some guidelines
for recognizing the true Church. It is a Church that is:

-Doctrinally
correct: All teachings are based on the written Word of God.

-Composed
of regenerated members: The lives of its members have been changed by the power
of God.

-Worshipful:
Worships the one true God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

-Evangelistic:
Is actively involved in the mission of reaching the world with the Gospel of
Jesus Christ.

2. Here are some guidelines
for recognizing a false Church. It is a church that is:

-Doctrinally
incorrect: They emphasize selected portions of God's Word and eliminate other
portions. They do not take the Word of God literally. They accept teachings of
man which contradict God's Word.

-Divisive:
May have divisions within the church and seeks to cause division within the
Body of Christ in general. See Romans 16:17-18; Acts 20:29,30; Ephesians 4.

-Controlling:
A false church will attempt to control the lives and actions of its members in
a domineering way.

-Composed
of unregenerated members: People continue living in the old sinful

lifestyles.

CHAPTER
SIX

INTERNAL
GROWTH

OBJECTIVES:

Upon
completion of this chapter you will be able to:

C Write the Key Verse from memory.

C Explain what is meant by "internal"
church growth.

C Define "spiritual growth.@

C Identify the evidences of spiritual growth.

C Explain the ministry of the Holy Spirit in
relation to internal Church growth.

C Identify growth conditions in the natural
world that parallel those in the spiritual world.

KEY
VERSE:

And...
holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having
nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
(Colossians 1:19)

INTRODUCTION

In the
last chapter you learned there are four types of growth in God's plan for
multiplication of the church. The Church is to multiply through internal,
expansion, extension, and bridging growth. This lesson focuses on the internal
growth of the Church.

INTERNAL
GROWTH

When we
speak of "internal growth" of the Church, we are referring to the
spiritual growth and development of its members. The Church grows spiritually
in proportion to the growth of its individual members.

The Church
must not only grow in quantity through extension, expansion, and bridging
growths, it must also grow in quality. Growth in quality is internal or
spiritual growth.

Paul
referred to this process, comparing it to internal growth in the natural body:

And...holding
the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment
ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. (Colossians
1:19)

The
"increase of God" refers to spiritual growth. As members grow
spiritually, the Church experiences internal growth. The entire Body is
nourished and increases with the increase of God.

Spiritual
growth is an increase in spiritual maturity which results in the development of
the Christ-life in the believer. It is growth in the knowledge of Jesus:

But
grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ...(II
Peter 3:18)

It is
growth in Jesus:

But
speaking the truth in love, may grow up into Him in all things, which is the
head, even Christ. (Ephesians 4:15)

Spiritual
growth means decrease of self and increase in the life of Christ in you:

He
must increase, but I must decrease. (John 3:30)

Spiritual
growth does not come automatically as a result of the length of time one has
been a believer. It is result of the development of the Christ-life in the a
believer.

Evidences
of spiritual growth include:

1.
An increase in spiritual knowledge.

2.
Proper application of that knowledge to life and ministry.

3.
A deeper delight in spiritual things.

4.
A greater love for God and others.

5.
Development of Christ-like spiritual qualities (spiritual fruit).

6.
An increase in desire and ability to share the Gospel with others.

7.
Development and effective use of spiritual gifts.

Growth is
the natural result of life. If there is spiritual life in a church, internal
growth will result as well as expansion, extension, and bridging growths.

THE
HOLY SPIRIT AND INTERNAL GROWTH

In the
last chapter you learned of the ministry of the Holy Spirit to the church. The
Holy Spirit:

-Formed
the Church.

-Inspires
its worship.

-Directs
its missionary activities.

-Selects
its ministers.

-Anoints
its preachers.

-Guides
its decisions.

-Baptizes
it with power.

In
addition to these ministries in the Church, the Holy Spirit has important
functions in relation to the internal growth of the Church. These include:

CONVICTION
OF SIN:

Spiritual
growth is hindered by sin. The Holy Spirit convicts believers of sin:

And
when He is come, He will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of
judgment:

Of
sin, because they believe not on me;

Of
righteousness, because I go to My Father and ye see me no more;

Of
judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. (John 16:8-11)

When the
Holy Spirit convicts of sin, we can then follow the command...

If
we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (I John 1:9)

But
we are bound to give thanks alway to God for you, brethren, beloved of the
Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through
sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth...

(II
Thessalonians 2:13)

INDWELLING:

The Holy
Spirit indwells or lives in the life of believers. The purpose of this
indwelling is to strengthen the new nature received through salvation:

What!
Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you,
which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

(I
Corinthians 6:19)

Know
ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in
you? (I Corinthians 3:16)

Therefore
if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away;
behold all things are become new. (II Corinthians 5:17)

This
I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

For
the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and
these are contrary the one to the other; so that ye cannot do the things that
ye would.

But
if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. (Galatians 5:16-18)

STRENGTHENING:

Strength
and growth are related. You become strong as you grow. It takes strength to
grow. Internal growth comes through the strengthening of the Holy Spirit:

That
He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened
with might by His Spirit in the inner man. (Ephesians 3:16)

UNITY:

Unity
brings internal growth in the Church:

But
he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. (I Corinthians 6:17)

For
as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one
body, being many are one body: so also is Christ.

For
by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or
Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one
Spirit. (I Corinthians 12:12-13)

INTERCESSION:

The
intercession of the Holy Spirit builds up the believer spiritually:

Likewise
the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray
for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered. (Romans 8:26)

But
ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the
Holy Ghost. (Jude 20)

Praying
always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto
with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

(Ephesians
6:18)

GUIDANCE:

The Holy
Spirit guides believers into the truth of God's Word which brings spiritual
growth:

Howbeit
when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth; for He
shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak;
and He will show you things to come. (John 16:13)

For
as many as are led by the spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

(Romans
8:14)

REVELATION:

The Holy
Spirit reveals the truths of God's Word to a believer which results in
spiritual growth:

But
God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all
things, yea, the deep things of God. (I Corinthians 2:10)

LOVE:

People
grow spiritually in an atmosphere of love:

And
hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts
by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. (Romans 5:5)

CONFORMING:

The Holy
Spirit is at work internally to conform believers to the image of Jesus:

But
we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed
into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.
(II Corinthians 3:18)

TEACHING:

We grow
spiritually as we grow in the knowledge of God. The Holy Spirit is our
resident teacher:

But
the anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not
that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things,
and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in
Him. (I John 2:27)

...and
walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost...(Acts
9:31)

Even
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not,
neither knoweth Him; but ye know Him; for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in
you...

But
the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name,
He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance,
whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:17, 26)

QUICKENING:

One of the
ministries of the Holy Spirit in the life of Jesus was to raise Him from the
dead.

The
same Holy Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in you. The Spirit is
able to quicken (empower, give new life, resurrect) your mortal body:

But
if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that
raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His
Spirit that dwelleth in you. (Romans 8:11)

If you do
not mature spiritually, you become spiritually "dead.@ The growth process ceases. It is the power of the
Holy Spirit that quickens you again to spiritual life.

DEMONSTRATING
POWER:

Paul said:

And
my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in
demonstration of the Spirit and of power;

That
your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. (I
Corinthians 2:4-5)

The
demonstration of power by the Holy Spirit increases your faith in God.

EMPOWERING
FOR WITNESSING:

The
special power to witness is the true evidence that one has been baptized in the
Holy Spirit:

But
ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you; and ye
shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in
Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth. (Acts 1:8)

Spiritually
mature believers will be reproductive witnesses of the Gospel.

BAPTIZING:

The Church
experiences internal growth through the baptism of the Holy Spirit:

And
they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak in other tongues,
as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:4)

Baptism in
the Holy Spirit results in the development of spiritual gifts and fruit in the
lives of believers.

GIVING
SPIRITUAL GIFTS:

Spiritual
gifts are important to the internal growth of the Church because they
"edify" believers. To "edify" means to "build up and
promote spiritual growth.@ (You will learn more about
spiritual gifts in the next lesson.)

DEVELOPING
SPIRITUAL FRUIT:

Spiritual
fruit is the nature of the Spirit revealed in the life of the believer. It
refers to spiritual qualities which should be evident in the lives of all
believers.

Spiritual
fruit is the evidence of spiritual growth. Like fruit in the natural world, it
is a product which results from the process of life. Just as fruit takes time
to develop in the natural world, spiritual fruit takes time to develop. It is
the product of internal growth in the life of the believer.

Here is a
list of the spiritual fruit of the Holy Spirit:

But
the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith,

Meekness,
temperance: against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)

God wants
you to grow in:

Love:
Deep affection, care, and concern.

Joy:
Gladness, delight, and jubilance which is not dependent on the circumstances of
life.

In the
natural world there are certain conditions required for growth and development
of fruit. These natural conditions are parallels of spiritual factors
necessary for growth of the fruit of spiritual maturity. Here are some of the
parallels:

LIFE:

Growth is
impossible without life. Fruit development starts from a seed. There must be
life in the seed, or it will not grow. In the parable of the sower, the
"seed" is the Word of God. Growth comes through the seed of the
Word:

As
newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.
(I Peter 2:2)

Jesus was
the visible manifestation of the Word of God, the Seed, and in Him was life:

In
Him was life, and the life was the light of men. (John 1:4)

For
as the Father hath life in Himself; so hath He given to the Son to have life in
Himself. (John 5:26)

__________

*
The Harvestime International Institute course entitled "Ministry Of The
Holy Spirit" discusses each of these spiritual qualities in detail.

Jesus came
to plant this seed of life in us to enable our spiritual growth:

I
am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly.
(John 10:10)

PROPER
SOIL:

The seed
of the Word of God must have good soil in order to develop properly. Read the
parable of the sower in Mark 4. Only the seed which fell on good ground
brought spiritual growth:

And
these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the Word, and
receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an
hundred. (Mark 4:20)

You must
prepare the "ground" of your heart and mind to receive the seed of
the Word of God.

WATER:

Water is
necessary for growth in the natural world. God promised:

For
I will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon dry ground. (Isaiah
44:3)

This
pouring out is an anointing of the Holy Spirit of which water is a symbol:

I
will pour out of my spirit upon your seed. (Isaiah 44:3 Amplified Version)

He
that believeth on me, the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow
rivers of living water. (John 7:38)

The water
of the Holy Spirit causes the seed of the Word of God to take root in the
hearts of men and women who are spiritually dead:

For
there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that
the tender branch thereof will not cease.

Though
the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground;

Yet
through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.
(Job 14:7-9)

LIGHT:

It is
response to light that causes growth in the natural world. Spiritual growth
occurs in response to spiritual light. That light is Jesus:

In
Him was life, and the life was the light of men. (John 1:4)

I
am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness,
but shall have the light of life. (John 8:12)

AIR:

Air is
drawn in by the natural plant from the atmosphere which surrounds it. Air is
necessary to growth. In the Bible the Holy Spirit is compared to air or a wind:

The
wind breathes where it will and thou canst hear the sound of it: But knowest
nothing of the way it came or the way it goes. So it is when a man is born of
the breath of the spirit. (John 3:8 Knox Translation)

The Holy
Spirit breathes life into the Seed of the Word of God. Spiritual growth and
fruit development result.

SPACE:

In the
parable of the sower, competition for space caused some plants to die:

He
also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the
care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he
becometh unfruitful. (Matthew 13:22)

The
competition of the things of the world chokes the seed of the Word of God and
prevents spiritual growth.

REST:

A period
of rest (called dormancy) occupies a specific season of the development cycle
of plants in the natural world. It is a time of rest for the plant and is the
season that precedes the springtime of rapid growth. During dormancy, the plant
looks like it is dead. But it is not dead. The seed of life is still alive
within.

Sometimes
an individual or a church may appear as though it is not growing spiritually.
But if the seed of the Word of God has been properly planted, internal growth
will occur in time (Psalms l).

Just as in
the natural world, spiritual dormancy precedes the period of rapid growth and
development. Wait patiently for the process of internal growth to multiply
spiritual fruit:

Behold,
the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience
for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.

(James
5:7)

ROOT
SYSTEM:

Roots are
necessary to anchor and supply nutrients to the plant. Psalms 1 tells how to
develop the root system in your spiritual life:

Blessed
is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the
way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But
his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doeth he meditate day and
night.

And
he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his
fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth
shall prosper. (Psalms 1:1-3)

DEATH:

Every
time you plant a seed to produce fruit, it does not come to life unless it dies
first:

Verily,
verily I say unto you, except acorn of what fall into the ground an die, it
abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. (John 12:24)

Every
time you plant a seed, you sow something that does not come to life
(germinating, springing up, and growing) unless it dies first.

(I
Corinthians 15:36 The Amplified Version)

Spiritual
life depends on death to the things of the world. It requires death to sin,
worldly desires, and pleasures. Death to the world results in the development
of the fruit of Christ-likeness in your life.

ATTACHED
TO THE VINE:

In order
to bear fruit in the natural world a branch must be attached to the main plant.
If the branch is broken off from the main life-giving vine or trunk it will not
bear fruit.

Jesus is
the vine and we are the branches. In order to bear spiritual fruit we must
maintain our relationship to Him:

I
am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.

Every
branch in me that beareth not fruit He taketh away; and every branch that
beareth fruit, He purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit.

Now
ye are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you.

Abide
in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it
abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.

I
am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the
same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing.

(John
15:1-5)

PRUNING:

Pruning is
necessary in the natural world if a plant is to remain reproductive and bear
fruit. When a farmer prunes a plant he cuts off the unproductive branches in
order to make the plant produce more fruit. He removes everything which would
hinder the growth of the plant.

Pruning is
also necessary in the spiritual world. Spiritual pruning is correction by God.
The Bible also calls it chastisement. When God "prunes" He removes
from your life everything which would hinder your spiritual growth. This
process is necessary if you are to bear spiritual fruit:

Every
branch in me that beareth not fruit He taketh away; and every branch that
beareth fruit, He purgeth it that it may bring forth more fruit. (John 15:2)

Sometimes
you do not reap the benefits of pruning because you blame Satan when God is
actually the one bringing circumstances in to your life to correct (prune)
you. The purpose of God's correction is given in Hosea 6:1:

Come,
and let us return unto the Lord; for He hath torn, and He will heal us; He hath
smitten and He will bind us up. (Hosea 6:1)

The
chastisement of pruning results in a return to God. Only by returning to Him
will you become spiritually reproductive and bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

CLIMATE:

Climate is
important to development of fruit. In the natural world many types of fruit
are developed in environments that are specially controlled. They are grown in
buildings called "hot houses" at specific temperatures. They are
protected from the real environment of the outside world.

If you
take a "hot house" plant and move it outside, it will soon die
because it has lived only in a controlled environment. It cannot withstand the
environment of the real world. Spiritual speaking, you do not want "hot
house" Christians who look good in controlled settings but wilt on contact
with the real world.

(Answers
to tests are provided at the conclusion of the final chapter in this manual.)

FOR
FURTHER STUDY

1. When a plant is near
death in the natural world, it must be revived. When a Church is near
spiritual death, revival is also necessary. To revive is to "regain life
and flourish anew.@ Study the following references:

Study
the following accounts of revivals in the Old Testament. What were the factors
that brought revival? What were the results of each revival?

The
revival at Sinai: Exodus 32:1-35; 33:1:23

The
revival under Samuel: I Samuel 7:1-17

The
revival on Mt. Carmel: I Kings 18:1-46

The
revival in Ninevah: The book of Jonah

Revival
under Asa: II Chronicles 15

Revival
under Hezekiah: II Chronicles 29:1-36; 30:1-27; 31:1-21

Revival
under Josiah: II Chronicles 34:1-33; 35:1-19

Post-captivity
revival: Nehemiah 8:1-18

2. In the
last chapter you learned that the Church is compared to a spiritual building
built on the foundation of Jesus Christ. Internal spiritual growth is the
process of building on that foundation. Study the following outline:

GROWING
BY BUILDING

BASIC
PRINCIPLES:

A. What
are you building spiritually?

1.
You are a building:

Ye
also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house...(I Peter 2:5)

2.
You are building an eternal structure:

For
we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a
building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. (II
Corinthians 5:1)

3.
The Church is a building:

...Ye
are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ
himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed
together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord; In whom ye also are builded
together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.

(Ephesians
2:20-22)

B. There
are two involved in the process:

1.
God:

...He
that built all things is God. (Hebrews 3:4)

Except
the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that built it...

(Psalms
127:1)

...I
will build my church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.
(Matthew 16:18)

2.
Man: Man, in union with God, is to build:

For
we are laborers together with God..ye are God's building.

(I
Corinthians 3:9)

...Building
up yourselves on your most holy faith...(Jude 20)

You...and
they that shall be of thee shall build the old waste places...thou shalt raise
up the foundations...thou shalt be called the repairer of the breach, the
restorer of paths to dwell in. (Isaiah 58:12)

BEFORE
YOU START TO BUILD:

Before you
start to build you must:

1.
Count The Cost:

For
which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth
the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after He hath
laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it began to
mock him. Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish. (Luke
14:28-30)

2. Be
Determined:

And
Solomon determined to build an house for the name of the Lord...

(II
Chronicles 2:1)

3.
Have A Proper Motive:

Behold,
I build an house to the name of the Lord my God, to dedicate it to him, and to
burn before him sweet smelling incense...continual shewbread, ...burnt
offerings..solemn feasts...(II Chronicles 2:4)

4.
Prepare:

For
Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord, and to do it, and to
teach it...(Ezra 7:10)

And
that servant, which knew this lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither
did according to his will...(Luke 12:47)

HOW TO
BUILD:

1.
Build On The Right Foundation:

Wise
man builds on foundation of the Word...it fell not, for it was founded upon a
rock. (Matthew 7:24-27)

The right
foundation is Jesus and His Word:

..Ye
are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ
himself being the chief corner stone; (Ephesians 2:20)

Built
up in Him...established in the faith as ye have been taught....

(Colossians
2:7)

Be careful
how you build on this foundation:

For
other foundation can no man lay that is laid, which Is Jesus Christ.

Now
if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay
stubble;

Every
man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it, because it
shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort
it is. (I Corinthians 3:10-13)

2.
Build According To The Plan:

In every
Biblical building project, there was a plan given by God. See Genesis 6:
Exodus 25: I Chronicles 22. People obeyed God's plan:

Thus
did Noah, according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

(Genesis
6:22)

The plan
was different, but the same was true of Moses, David, Solomon, Ezra, and
Nehemiah...each did as the Lord commanded.

All
this, said David, the Lord made me understand in writing by His hand upon me,
every all the works of this pattern...then David gave to Solomon his son, the
pattern...(I Chronicles 28:19)

If you do
not follow God's plan for building your life on the Word of God, you will not
succeed:

Because
they regard not the works of the Lord, nor the operation of His hands, he shall
destroy them and not build them up. (Psalms 28:5)

3.
Build According To Your Ability:

In
building projects of Old Testament times, people gave according to their own
ability:

They
gave after their ability....(Ezra 2:69)

4.
Build willingly:

Be willing
to grow spiritually:

They
offered freely for the house of God to set it up in his place...

(Ezra
2:68)

5.
Build In The Strength Of The Lord:

And
I was strengthened as the hand of the Lord God was upon me...

(Ezra
7:28)

6.
Build In Unity:

The
people had a mind to work... (Nehemiah 4:6)

7.
Build Wisely:

Through
wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established. (Proverbs
24:3)

Every
wise woman buildeth her house; but the foolish plucketh it down with her
hands. (Proverbs 14:1)

God
filled workers with...wisdom, understanding, knowledge...that they make all I
have commanded...(Exodus 31:3,6)

Solomon
was...endued with prudence and understanding, that he might build an house for
the Lord...(II Chronicles 2:12)

The source
of wisdom is God:

If
any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men
liberally..and it shall be given him. (James 1:5)

CHAPTER
SEVEN

EXPANSION
GROWTH

OBJECTIVES:

Upon
completion of this chapter you will be able to:

C Write the Key Verse from memory.

C Explain what is meant by expansion growth.

C Summarize expansion growth of the first
church in Jerusalem.

C Summarize New Testament methods of church
expansion.

KEY
VERSE:

And
the Word of God increased, and the number of the disciples multiplied in
Jerusalem greatly... (Acts 6:7)

INTRODUCTION

In the
natural body, the various parts are coordinated by the head. All bodily
actions result from directions given by the head. Jesus is the Head which
provides direction for His spiritual Body, the Church. Jesus said, "I
will build my Church" (Matthew 16:18). In the Bible, His methods for
achieving this objective are revealed.

Methods
for multiplying the Church should be based on what is taught and demonstrated
in God's Word. As members of the Body of Christ, believers are called to act
upon these directions from the Head, our Lord Jesus Christ. This chapter is
the first of three that concern growth in numbers in the Church. This lesson
focuses on expansion growth.

EXPANSION
GROWTH

Expansion
growth occurs when believers win new converts to Christ and bring them into
fellowship with their own local church. This results in numeric growth of the
local church. Expansion growth should be directed at increasing the Kingdom of
God.

If Second
Church adds 100 members from First Church through transfer of membership,
Kingdom growth has not occurred. There has been an increase in membership at
Second Church but no expansion of the Kingdom of God. Kingdom growth only
occurs as new converts are won to Jesus and discipled to become responsible members
of the Body of Christ.

THE
NEW TESTAMENT RECORD

The book
of Acts records the expansion growth of the first church at Jerusalem. Here is
a summary of that record:

THE
FIRST GROWTH PATTERNS:

And
in those days Peter stood up in the midst of the Disciples and said, (the
number of names together were about an hundred and twenty). (Acts 1:15)

The Church
began in an upper room with a small band of 120 Disciples. On the Day of
Pentecost 3,000 were added to the Jerusalem church:

Then
they that gladly received his word were baptized; and the same day there were
added unto them about three thousand souls. (Acts 2:41)

After
Pentecost, expansion growth occurred on a daily basis:

And
The Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.

(Acts
2:47)

The number
of the men in the Jerusalem church grew to 5,000. This count did not include
the women and children who were part of the church:

Howbeit
many of them which heard the Word believed; and the number of the men was about
five thousand. (Acts 4:4)

Eventually,
multitudes were added to the church:

And
believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women.
(Acts 5:14)

Even
people who opposed the church were amazed at its extension:

Now
when the high priest and the captain of the temple and the chief priests heard
these things, they doubted of them whereunto this would grow.

(Acts
5:24)

The word
added was first used to describe the expansion of the church. Soon the growth
became so rapid that the word multiplied was used:

And
the Word of God increased, and the number of the Disciples multiplied in
Jerusalem greatly... (Acts 6:7)

From this
point on, the book of Acts stresses the multiplication of churches as well as
members of the local Jerusalem church. New churches were planted in every
heathen center of the then-known world in less than 40 years. For example, in
Samaria...

...when
the believed Philip preaching the things concerning the Kingdom of God, and the
name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. (Acts 8:12)

Then
had the churches rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria, and were
edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy
Ghost were multiplied. (Acts 9:31)

And
all that dwelt at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and turned to the Lord.

And
it was known throughout all Joppa; and many believed in the Lord. (Acts
9:35,42)

"Much
people" were added to the church through the ministry of just one Jewish
convert:

For
he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost, and of faith; and much people
was added unto the Lord. (Acts 11:24)

Three
verses record the great numbers added to the church at Antioch:

And
the hand of the Lord was with them: and a great number believed, and turned
unto the Lord.

And
when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a
whole year they assembled themselves with the Church and taught much people.
And the Disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. (Acts 11:21, 24,
26)

As the
Word of the Lord continued to grow and be multiplied, new believers were added
to the church:

But
the Word of God grew and multiplied. (Acts 12:24)

THE
MULTIPLICATION CONTINUES:

The
following passages summarize growth of the church outside of Palestine:

And
when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the Word of the
Lord; and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed.

And
the Word of the Lord was published throughout all the region.

(Acts
13:49-50)

So
mightily grew the Word of God and prevailed. (Acts 19:20)

GROWTH
AT ICONIUM:

And
it came to pass in Iconium, they went both together into the synagogue of the
Jews and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the
Greeks believed. (Acts 14:1)

GROWTH
IN DERBE:

In Derbe,
disciples were confirmed, exhorted, and organized by Paul (see Acts 14:20-21).

GROWTH
IN GALATIA:

And
so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.
(Acts 16:5)

GROWTH
IN PHILIPI:

And
a certain woman named Lydia seller of purple of the city of Thyatira, which
worshiped God, heard us; whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto
the things which were spoken of Paul. (Acts 16:14 This was the beginning of
the Church at Philipi).

GROWTH
IN THESSALONICA:

And
some of them believed and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout
Greeks a great multitude and of the chief women not a few.

(Acts
17:4)

GROWTH
AT BEREA:

Therefore
many of them believed; also of honorable women which were Greeks, and of men,
not a few. (Acts 17:12)

GROWTH
AT CORINTH:

The Lord
said "I have much people in this city" (see Acts 18:8-11). The book
of Acts closes with the Apostle Paul still expanding the church, even though he
is a prisoner in Rome:

And
Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came
in unto him.

Preaching
the Kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus
Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him.

(Acts
28:20-31)

Paul
reports many thousands of Jews alone have turned to Christ and become part of
local churches:

And
when they heard it, they all glorified the Lord and said unto him, Thou seest,
brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe, and are all
zealous of the law. (Acts 21:20)

HOW
THE CHURCH EXPANDED

These are
the methods by which the early church expanded.

SPIRITUAL
VISION:

Where
there is no vision the people perish. (Proverbs 29:18)

Without
spiritual vision, people die spiritually. The early Church had a spiritual
vision. It was a vision Jesus had given His disciples when He told them...

...Lift
up your eyes and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
(John 4:35)

Spiritual
vision unites people in purpose. Vision leads to development of a strategy.
That strategy includes understanding of purpose, objectives to accomplish that
purpose, and methods of evaluation to make sure the purpose is being fulfilled.

Vision
leads to compassion. When Jesus saw the multitudes He was moved to compassion.
It was a burden based on knowledge of their need. Vision is basically the
development of a Biblical world view, seeing the world as God sees it and
responding on the basis of that view.

The early
church caught the vision of expanding from Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria, and
the ends of the earth. It was a vision taught by their leader (Acts 1:8). When
people have a spiritual vision, expectancy replaces boredom and cooperation
replaces competition.

RECEPTIVE
AREAS AND TIMES:

Jesus
taught that some areas would be more receptive than others:

Go
not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye
not.

But
go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

And
whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of
that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.

(Matthew
10:5-6,14)

Some areas
and groups are more receptive to the Gospel at certain times than others. The
early church worked in spiritual harvest fields that were receptive. When Paul
was rejected in the synagogue, he taught elsewhere (Acts 9:20-31). When he
first wanted to go to Asia, the Holy Spirit stopped him (Acts 16:6). He went
later at a more receptive time.

Expansion
occurs most rapidly when you concentrate efforts in ripe harvest fields. This
does not mean you ignore the unresponsive fields. You continue to plant the
Word, wait, and pray for God to make them receptive to the Gospel.

"GO"
RATHER THAN "COME METHODOLOGY:

The early
church used the "go" method rather than the "come" method
of Old Testament Israel. In Old Testament times the nations were to come to
Israel to receive the revelation of God. But in the New Testament the command
was "Go ye into all the world.@ New Testament believers followed
this strategy. They did not sit around waiting for the world to come to them.

EVERY
BELIEVER REPRODUCING:

Each
member of the early church multiplied to reproduce new disciples:

Therefore
they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the Word. (Acts 8:4)

The chart
in the last chapter showed how rapidly believers multiply when each one teaches
one who is able to teach others also.

Churches
need to send men and women into the arena of everyday life...People who live
their faith rather than just talk about it, people whose lives have been
changed by the power of the Gospel. A soldier does not win a war by remaining
in the barracks. A harvester does not remain in the barn, and a fisherman does
not sit idly on the shore.

SOCIAL
NETWORKS:

In New
Testament times the Gospel spread quickly along existing social networks of
family and friends. For example, Jesus called Andrew to follow Him. Andrew immediately
started sharing the Gospel. He began by reaching his family. He brought Peter
to Christ.

Study the
following passages which illustrate how the Gospel spread within existing
social networks:

-Zaccheus
and his family: Luke 19

-Family
of official of Capernaum: John 4:53

-Relatives
and friends of Cornelius: Acts 10:24,44

-Two
households in Philippi: Acts 16:15 and 27-34

-The
family of a synagogue leaders: Acts 18:8

-Stephanos
and his household: I Corinthians 1:16

-Households
of Aristobulus and Narcissus: Romans 16:10-11

-Onespihorous
and family: II Timothy 1:16

-Philemon
and family: Philemon l

METHODS
OF JESUS:

Throughout
the book of Acts, the early Church used methods taught and demonstrated by
Jesus. They preached the Gospel, taught the Word, baptized new believers, and
trained new disciples (Matthew 28:19-20).

Prayer and
study of the Word were important in the expansion of the church (Acts 6:4).
Combining the Word of God with the demonstration of power also expanded the
church. As people were healed, miracles were performed, and demons cast out,
multitudes came to the Lord.

(The
demonstration of power was so important that Harvestime International Institute
has an entire course devoted to this subject entitled "Power
Principles").

NEW
TESTAMENT GROUPS:

Groups
were important in New Testament expansion. In Acts 6:1-7 when a problem arose,
a special group was organized as a solution. Paul taught a special group of
disciples in an extension school (Acts 19:9). On occasion, Paul taught segregated
groups of Jews and Gentiles (Acts 13:42). Small groups met in homes (Acts 12).

Many
churches have organized their entire membership into small groups to accomplish
purposes that cannot be achieved as well in larger meetings of the entire
church. Small groups are more intimate, mobile, and flexible to minister to
personal needs. This diagram shows how a church can organize such groups:

3 »2 »1º 2º3

1. The Pastor (number l)
trains key leaders to be in charge of the small groups (indicated by the
numbers 2). He instructs them in the spiritual purpose and activities of the
group which should include fellowship, study of the Word of God, sharing of
personal experiences, prayer, caring for practical material needs, and
evangelism. The number of group leaders varies from Church to Church depending
on how many groups are formed.

2. Each group leader
(indicated by the numbers 2) forms and leads a small group (indicated by the
numbers 3).

EACH
HOME A CENTER OF EVANGELISM:

God's
plan, from the beginning, was for the home to be a Christian training center:

And
these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart...And thou
shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou
sittest in thine house...And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house
and thy gates. (Deuteronomy 6:6-9)

Every home
as a center of evangelism was part of the method of expansion in the early
church as illustrated in the following references:

-Acts 2:
The Holy Spirit was given during a prayer meeting in the upper room of a home.

-Acts
5:42: Believers worshiped in the temple and the home, and went house-to-house
in visiting, fellowship, and worship.

-Acts
8:3: When Saul tried to defeat the Church, he did not concentrate efforts just
on the temples of worship. He entered every house trying to abort the spread
of the Gospel. Each home was a center of evangelism.

-Acts
9:11, 17: Paul was discipled by Ananias in a home.

-Acts 10:
The first vision of the cross-cultural expansion of the Gospel was given in a
home as Peter prayed.

-Acts 10:
The first message to the Gentiles was preached in a home.

-Acts 12:
A home prayer meeting resulted in the deliverance of Peter from prison.

-Acts
20:20; 28:30-31: Paul taught both publicly and also house to house during his
ministry.

-Acts
20:7-12: Paul was speaking in a home when Eutychus fell out of the window.

-Acts
21:8-14: Prophetic revelation occurred in homes.

-Churches
in the home are recorded in I Corinthians 16:19; Romans 16:3-5; Colossians
4:15; and Philemon 1:2.

THE
MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT:

The Holy
Spirit is the power which convicts sinful men and women and persuades them to
accept the Gospel message. This results in new converts which leads to
expansion of the church.

And
when He (the Holy Spirit) is come, He will reprove the world of sin and of
righteousness, and of judgment:

Of
sin, because they believe not on me;

Of
righteousness, because I go to my Father and ye see me no more;

Of
judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. (John 16:8-11)

SPIRITUAL
GIFTS:

Human
growth requires the development of a skeletal structure to support the
multiplication of cells. For the Body of Christ to grow, structure is equally
important. Jesus said the harvest is ripe, but laborers are few. If laborers
are few, then they should be organized effectively to reap the harvest.

For this
purpose, the Holy Spirit bestows spiritual gifts and various offices in the
Church. These gifts and offices are for the purpose of the work of the
ministry. Spiritual gifts are supernatural abilities given by the Holy Spirit
to enable the work of the ministry. You can read about the different spiritual
gifts in the following passages:

-Romans
12:1-8

-I
Corinthians 12:1-31

-Ephesians
4:1-16

-I
Peter 4:7-11

God has a
special place in the Church for each believer:

But
now hath God set the members, every one of them, in the body, as it hath
pleased Him. (I Corinthians 12:18)

Every
member has a place which God has chosen for him. He is empowered to fulfill
his special purpose in the Church through the gifts of the Holy Spirit. When
each believer is filling the place God has chosen for him and using his
spiritual gift, the Church operates properly. God compares it to the operation
of the human body in which each member knows and performs its function (I
Corinthians 12:1-31).

Each
person is important to the work of the ministry, just as each part of the
natural body is important:

And
the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to
the feet, I have no need of you.

Nay,
much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are
necessary. (I Corinthians 12:21-22)

The
Harvestime International Institute course entitled "Ministry Of The
Holy Spirit" provides detailed study on each spiritual gift. For this
reason, only a brief summary is provided here:

Special
Leadership Gifts:

There are
special positions of leadership to which God calls and ordains some in the
Church:

And
He gave some apostles; and some prophets; and some, evangelists, and some
pastors and teachers. (Ephesians 4:11)

The
special leaders given by God include the following:

Apostles:

An apostle
is one who has a special ability to develop new churches in different places
and cultures and to oversee a number of churches as a supervisor. Apostle means
"a delegate, one sent with full power and authority to act for another.@ The apostle has a special authority or ability to
extend the Gospel throughout the world by developing organized bodies of
believers. Modern terms used by the church for an apostle are missionary and
church-planter.

Prophets:

There are
two prophetic gifts. One is the special gift of being a prophet. The other is
the speaking gift of prophecy. In general, prophecy refers to speaking under
the special inspiration of God. It is the special ability to receive and
communicate an immediate message of God to His people. A person who is a
prophet has the special leadership gift of a prophet as well as the speaking
gift of prophecy.

Evangelists:

An
evangelist has an ability to share the Gospel with non-believers in a way that
men and women respond and become responsible members of the Body of Christ. The
meaning of the word "evangelist" is "one who brings good news.@

Pastors:

Pastors
are leaders who assume long-term personal responsibility for the spiritual
welfare of a group of believers.

Teachers:

Teachers
have the ability to communicate the Word of God effectively in such a way that
others learn and apply what is taught. A teacher is one who has the gift of
teaching and also serves in a leadership position in the Church.

The five
special gifts of leadership function together to expand the Church. The apostle
extends the Gospel message to various regions and raises up organized bodies of
believers. God gives miraculous signs and wonders to assist in this extension
of the Gospel. The apostle provides special leadership to the churches he
raises up.

The
prophet also provides leadership in the Church. One of his functions is to
give messages from God through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Evangelists
communicate the Gospel in such a manner that people respond to it and become
believers. They may minister individually or to large groups, but their
ministry always produces new believers.

These
believers then come under the care of apostles, prophets, pastors, and teachers
of the church who guide their spiritual development. (The example of Philip in
Acts 8 illustrates this. He brought the Samaritans to Christ, then turned them
to the apostles for further teaching.)

Pastors
exercise long-term care for those who have believed through the message of
apostles and evangelists. Their ministry is a picture of the loving care of a
shepherd for his sheep. Teachers provide instruction which goes beyond that of
the evangelist. They teach believers to be spiritually mature. They train
faithful people who are capable of teaching others.

The main
responsibility of those with special leadership gifts is to help other
believers to discover and use their spiritual gifts (Ephesians 4:11-16). The
work of the ministry requires the active participation of all the members. When
this structure of Body ministry is not functioning properly, inactive members
are easily carried off by false doctrines (Ephesians 4:14)

Here is a
brief summary of other spiritual gifts given believers:

Speaking
Gifts:

These
gifts are called "speaking gifts" because they all involve speaking
audibly (out loud).

Prophecy:
A person with the gift of prophecy speaks by inspiration of God to communicate
an immediate message to His People.

Teaching:
Teachers have the ability to communicate the Word of God effectively in such a
way that others learn and apply what is taught.

Exhortation:
The ability to draw close to individuals in time of need, counseling them
correctly with the Word of God.

Word of
Wisdom: The ability to receive insight as to how knowledge may be applied to
specific needs.

Word of
Knowledge: The ability to understand things which others do not know and cannot
understand and to share this knowledge with them.

Serving
Gifts:

These
gifts serve the Church by providing structure, organization, and support in
both spiritual and practical areas.

Serving:
The ability to perform practical tasks related to the work of the Lord, freeing
others from routine but necessary duties.

Helps:
The ability to assist others in the work of the Lord enabling them to increase
the effectiveness of their own spiritual gifts.

Leadership:
The ability to set goals in accord with God's purpose and communicate these
goals to others. A person with this gift motivates and leads others to
accomplish goals for the glory of God.

Administration:
This gift is called "governments" in the Bible. A person with the
gift has the ability to give direction, organize, and make decisions on behalf
of others.

Giving:
The special ability to give material goods and financial resources, time,
strength and talents to the work of the Lord.

Showing
Mercy: Special compassion and an ability to help those suffering.

Discerning
Of Spirits: The ability to evaluate people, doctrine, and situations and
determine whether they are of God or of Satan.

Faith: A
person with the gift of faith has a special ability to believe with
extraordinary confidence and trust God in difficult circumstances.

Hospitality:
Ability to provide food and lodging and minister to other material necessities
of those in need.

Sign
Gifts:

These are
supernatural signs of God's power working through believers to confirm His
Word.

Tongues:
The ability to receive and communicate a message of God to His people through a
language never learned.

Interpretation:
The ability to make known in a language understood the message of one who
speaks in tongues.

Miracles:
Through a person with the gift of miracles God performs powerful acts which are
beyond the possibility of occurring naturally.

Healing:
A person with this gift has the ability to let God's power flow through him to
restore health apart from the use of natural methods.

BIBLICAL
ORGANIZATION:

Believers
with special gifts are not the only leaders in the church mentioned in the
Bible. The offices of deacons, elders and bishops are also mentioned in the
New Testament.* These are also instrumental in the growth of the church.

______________

*
Some churches consider a bishop the same as a pastor. Others consider it a
separate office.

These
positions of leadership are not the same as the gifts of leadership you just
studied. They are special offices established by the early church to assist in
its expansion growth. You can read in Acts 6:1-7 how the first organization in
the early church resulted in growth.

The record
of the early church was preserved by God as an example for us to follow in
structure. These offices should also function in the church today.

The
purpose of these offices is to assist those who have the special gifts of
leadership i.e., the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers.

Use the
following section to study these positions of leadership:

Church
Offices

Title References Duties

Bishop I
Timothy 3:1-7 Many consider a bishop to be
the

Philippians
1:1 same as a pastor. These verses

Titus
1:5-9 do indicate he is to have

I
Peter 5:2-3 indicate long term care over
a

group
of believers.

Deacon I
Timothy 3:8-13 These verses indicate

Philippians
1:1 deacons have a ministry

Acts
6:1-7 of serving and helps.

Deaconesses I
Timothy 3:11 Deaconesses are not
specifically

Romans
16:1-2 mentioned in the Bible.
Some churches
have adopted this term

for
the wives of deacons or other

women
who minister in serving

and
helps.

Elders Acts
20:17,28-32 These verses indicate

Acts
14:23;15 elders provide leadership

Acts
16:4; 11:30 in church decisions,

I
Timothy 5:17 minister to the needs of

I
Peter 5:1-4 believers, and assist

Titus
1:5 in development and care of

James
5:14 local bodies of believers.

Note: The
word "elders" is first used in the Bible in Exodus 3:16 in reference
to the leaders of Israel. There are many references to the elders of Israel
throughout the Bible. These elders are different from the position of
leadership known as an elder in the early church. All of the verses we have
listed here refer to the elders in the church rather than the elders of
Israel.

The elders
function in leadership along with the special gifts of leadership God has set
in the church. The elders are not to run the church independent of the special
leaders of God, i.e., prophets, apostles, evangelists, pastors, teachers. God
has set the special leaders in the church. Man chooses the elders.

All
leaders in the Church should be born-again believers, of course. But the Bible
also gives specific qualifications which must be met by those filling these
church offices:

Qualifications
For Bishops And Elders:

Above
reproach: Should have a good reputation and not be in violation of God's Word:
I Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:6,7

Husband of
one wife: If married, should have only one mate: I Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:6

Temperate:
Moderate in all things: Titus 1:8; I Timothy 3:2

Self-controlled:
Demonstrates control in all areas of life and conduct: Titus 1:8

4. Below is a list of New
Testament methods of Church expansion. On a separate sheet of paper summarize
how each was used in the first church at Jerusalem.

-Spiritual
vision

-Receptive
areas and times

-"Go"
rather than "come" method

-Every
believer reproducing

-Social
networks

-Methods
of Jesus

-Groups

-Every
home

-Ministry
of the Holy Spirit

-Spiritual
gifts and offices

(Answers
to tests are provided at the conclusion of the final chapter in this manual.)

FOR
FURTHER STUDY

1. The following study
illustrates the results of individual believers witnessing in their own social
networks of friends and relatives. A study of 4,000 new converts to various
churches was conducted to determine how they came to visit the church in the
first place. Here were the results:

6
to 8% Just walked in

2
to 3% Came through a program of the church

8
to 12% Came through invitation of the pastor

3
to 4% Came due to a special need in their lives

l
to 2% Came as a result of a visit by church members

3
to 4% Came through a Sunday school class

70
to 80% Were invited by friends and relatives

You
might want to study new converts in your own church to determine why people
first visited the church. The information you gain from the study will provide
information for prayer and improvement. Have each person complete the
following form:

2. Going from
house-to-house was a method used in the early Church. Here are some suggestions
for visiting the homes of those in the community where your Church is located:

-Dress
appropriately for the visit, in a manner acceptable for business in your
culture. You are there on God's business.

-Pray
before going on the visit.

-Center
your visit on the needs of the people. Do they need salvation? Do they need
counsel for other spiritual needs? Are they in need of physical healing or
material help?

-Do
not stay too long. Christ's encounters were brief but purposeful.

-Plan
to follow up with other visits: What is your point of reentry to the home? In
other words, what was said that gives you an opening to make a repeat visit?
(For example, to check on the condition of a person who is ill).

-Did
anything come up you should refer to the pastor for his personal care and
attention?

3. In all expansion of the
church there are three important factors: The Spirit of God, The Word of God,
and the man of God.

Review
the book of Acts again using this outline:

The
Spirit of God is emphasized. Acts
1-11

Five
accounts of the baptism of the Spirit are recorded in chapters 2,8,9,10,19.

The
Word of God is emphasized.
Acts 12:20

Its
titles are varied. It is called the Word (16:6); Word of God (17:13); Word of
the Lord (15:35); Gospel (15:7); Word of this salvation (13:26); Word of His
grace (14:3; 20:32) words of this life (5:20) Its result are that the Word
increased (6:7); grew and multiplied (12:24), and grew and prevailed (19:20)

The
man of God is emphasized.
Acts 21-28

These
chapters the Apostle Paul as an example of the man of God.

4. Several studies of
growing churches were conducted in the United States. The following is a
summary of common factors present in these expanding churches. The list is not
in order of importance. How does your church measure up?

-Strong
spiritual leadership.

-Well
mobilized laity and team ministries.

-Effective
evangelism.

-Biblical
priorities.

-Demonstration
of power (healings, miracles, etc.).

-Gifts
and fruits of the Holy Spirit manifested.

-Congregations
that multiply by planting new churches.

-Small
group ministries within the church.

-Anointed
corporate worship.

-Visibility
(located in a visible place in the community).

-Solid
financial resources.

-Organized
programs of discipleship training.

-Specific
purposes and objectives.

-Effective
relationship to the community in which it is located.

-Christ-centered.

-Biblically
based (preaching, worship, doctrine).

-Flexible
(open to change by the Holy Spirit).

-Friendly,
loving membership.

-Spiritually
growing, mature, committed.

-Emphasis
on prayer.

-Multiple
ministries.

5. Special group ministry
was one method of expansion in the early church. Here are some special groups
ministries you might pray about starting in your church:

-Special
groups for those who have experienced difficulties, i.e., death of a spouse,

child, divorce, etc.

6. Each group will need a
leader. Be sure the leader fits the Biblical qualifications for church
leadership. Here are some responsibilities of a group leader:

-To
be responsible for the group to the pastor and church leadership.

-To
conduct teaching within guidelines given by the pastor.

-To
encourage participation of group members in study, discussion, prayer,
evangelism, and other activities.

-To
establish an atmosphere of love and trust in which people free feel free to
share their problems.

-To
visit and fellowship with group members in their homes.

-To
help group members identify their spiritual gifts and encourage their use in the
group, church, and community.

-To
monitor and encourage the spiritual growth of group members.

-In
the case of neighborhood groups, monitor the needs of the area, making contact
with new neighbors, visiting and ministering to those with specific needs.

-To
train assistant leaders who can substitute for the leader in a temporary
capacity and eventually, if needs be, assume leadership of the group.

7. The following sample
letters can be used in Church expansion:

Letter
for out-of-town visitors:

Dear
(name of person):

I
was delighted to have you visit and worship with us this past Sunday. One of
the pleasures of ministering in (city name) is that of meeting so many lovely
people from so many places.

I
sincerely trust that our service was meaningful and of spiritual benefit to you
as well as pleasing to our Lord Jesus Christ.

Please
visit with us again when you are in this area. Should I be able to assist you
at any time in spiritual matters, please feel free to call upon me.

Sincerely
yours,

Your
name and

Your
Title

Letter
to a visitor from the community who attends another local church:

Dear
(name of person):

It
was a pleasure to have you visit with us recently. We trust you found the
service meaningful and that you experienced the presence of the Lord Jesus
Christ.

I
am pleased to know that you are active in another fellowship of believers, but
if I can ever be of assistance to you, please feel free to call upon me.

Do
come and visit us again!

Sincerely
yours,

Your
name and

Your
Title

Letter
from the pastor to new people in the community:

Dear
(name of person):

Welcome
to (name of city)! As you know, in moving to a new location, new friendships
are important. I would therefore consider it a real privilege if you would
think of me and our church as new friends!

If
you do not have a church home yet, we invite you to attend our services of
worship listed on the enclosed brochure (or give information on the services
right in the letter).

If
I can be of spiritual assistance to you and your family please feel free to
call me.

Sincerely
yours,

Your
name and

Your
Title

Letter
from a member of the church to new people in the community:

Dear
(name of person):

Hello...My
name is (insert your name). Welcome to the city of (name of city). I hope you
will find it as enjoyable as I have to be part of this community.

Perhaps
you have not yet found a church home. I would like to invite you to worship
with us this Sunday at the (name of church, service schedule, address).

The
(name of church) has become an important part of my life in this community.
Spiritually, I have found warm, sweet fellowship and a minister who is always
available as a friend and counselor. Socially, I have met many of my friends
through the church.

The
enclosed brochure provides additional information about our church. Please
visit us...We would love to become friends of yours.

If
you would like additional information, please feel free to contact me at (your
name or address). I do hope to meet you soon!

Sincerely
yours,

Your
name

Letter
to a prospect contacted in visitation:

Dear
(name of person):

Recently,
members of our visitation team had the pleasure of meeting you and introducing
you to the ministry of the (name of your church). We sincerely hope that you will
visit and worship with us in the very near future.

As
the minister of the (name of church) let me assure you that I have a personal
interest in your spiritual life and am committed to making the Bible relevant
to the development of a more meaningful relationship with God.

We
extend to you the fellowship and ministry of this church to you and your
family, and I look forward to meeting you soon.

Sincerely
yours,

Your
name and

Your
Title

CHAPTER
EIGHT

EXTENSION
GROWTH

OBJECTIVES:

Upon
completion of this chapter you will be able to:

C Write the Key Verse from memory.

C Define " extension growth.@

C Explain what is meant by "church
planting.@

C Summarize the extension growth of the New
Testament church.

C Explain how churches multiply through extension
growth.

C Identify four ways a new church might be
started.

C Identify three types of extension churches.

C List Biblical priorities for selecting areas
in which to start new churches.

C Explain the message which results in new
churches.

KEY VERSE:

And
so were the churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.
(Acts 16:5)

INTRODUCTION

The
disciples were commanded by Jesus to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria,
and the uttermost parts of the world (Acts 1:8).

As you
learned in the last chapter, the Jerusalem Church experienced rapid
multiplication. The next step in God's plan was extension growth. The
Jerusalem Church was to start new churches in other Jewish cities.

EXTENSION
GROWTH

Extension
growth occurs when a church starts another church in a similar culture. The
new church is an extension of the "mother" church, just as a child
in the natural world is a physical extension of the parents.

If the
"mother" church is spiritually mature, the new church will grow into
similar maturity. If there are problems in the "mother" church, the
new church is likely to have similar problems. This is why it is important for
a church to experience the internal growth of spiritual maturity before
extending to start new churches.

"Church
planting" is a term also used to describe extension and bridging growth of
the church. This term is used because one "plants" a new church much
as a farmer plants a seed in the natural world. In fertile ground, the seed
will produce a new plant like the "mother" plant from which the seed
came.

The term
"planting" is preferred because it is not enough to just
"organize" a church which does not fit into the local culture. It is
not enough to just "found" a church and leave it to struggle. It
must be "planted,@ which means it is rooted, growing
and continuing the spiritual life cycle.

CHURCH
EXTENSION IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

In the
human body, cells divide to grow. One cell divides to make two cells. These
two cells each divide to make another, and so the process continues. Growth in
God's Kingdom is similar. Multiplication takes place by division. Division is
a primary means of God's plan for growth.

If we do
not voluntarily choose to divide and multiply, God may allow circumstances to
cause it. Acts chapter 8 tells of a great persecution that arose against
believers at Jerusalem. This persecution brought division to the Jerusalem
Church as people were forced to flee Jerusalem to live in other cities.

As these
people left Jerusalem for new areas they "went everywhere preaching the
Word" (Acts 8:4). As new converts were won, new churches were formed.
These churches were an extension of the "mother" church at Jerusalem.

The New
Testament church not only extended to plant churches in similar cultures, it
also bridged the cultural gap to start churches in differing ethnic
communities. You will learn about this "bridging growth" in the
following chapter. (This and the following chapters should be considered
together, as they both concern starting new churches).

The record
of extension in the book of Acts reveals churches were started by the Jerusalem
church in Judea, Galilee, Lydda, Sharon, and Joppa. These were all similar
Jewish cultures.

As you
learned in the last chapter, each of these churches experienced expansion
growth also. The Jerusalem church and the fellowships created by its expansion
all were...

...established
in the faith, and increased in number daily. (Acts 16:5)

Not only
did individual believers reproduce spiritually, but Churches increased in
number as the Jerusalem Church expanded its witness throughout the region.

HOW
EXTENSION CHURCHES BEGIN

There are
four ways a new Church is started:

1.One church
starts another church.

2. Several churches
cooperate to start another church.

3.A large church
divides to form two or more separate churches.

4.An individual
believer is directed to a certain area to start a church. One with the
spiritual gift of apostleship is often used in this manner. This person is
sometimes called a "church planter.@

In each of
these, multiplication occurs through extension of the Gospel message by forming
a new Body of believers.

TYPES
OF EXTENSION CHURCHES

New
churches may be different types of extensions:

1. CHURCHES MINISTERING TO
A SPECIFIC COMMUNITY:

These are
churches established to minister to a specific community, village, or area in
a city. They may be the result of evangelism which has raised up a group of
new believers in a certain area. They may be established to minister in an
unreached or responsive areas.

2. CHURCHES MINISTERING TO
A SPECIFIC ETHNIC GROUP:

These
fellowships minister to a specific ethnic group who share the same culture,
ancestry, and language. For example, a church might be started for people who
speak Spanish and cannot understand the English speaking "mother"
Church services. Other examples would be a church for Asians in a refugee
camp or for Indians on an American reservation.

3. CHURCHES WITH SPECIAL
PURPOSES:

A church
may be established for a special purpose: For example, a church may be planted
near a college to minister specifically to the students.

PRIORITIES
IN STARTING EXTENSIONS

The Bible
teaches certain priorities in extending the Gospel and starting new churches. These
are as follow:

THE
UNREACHED:

The first
priority is unreached people. Paul wrote:

For
whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

How
then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they
believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a
preacher? (Romans 10:13-14)

Areas in
which there is no existing witness to the Gospel should always be the priority.
Read the parable of the sheep in Luke 15:3-7. The priority was on the lost
sheep, not those already in the fold.

THE
RESPONSIVE:

You
learned in the last lesson the importance of working in responsive spiritual
fields. Jesus taught it (Matthew 10:13-15; Luke 8:5-15) and Paul practiced it
(Acts 13:42-51). Jesus and Paul did not abandon the unresponsive fields. They
continued to proclaim the Gospel to them and warn of God's judgment. But their
priority was people who were responsive.

CITIES
FIRST, THEN RURAL AREAS:

This was a
strategy used by Paul which you will learn more about in the next chapter.
Cities have the greatest populations. Many people visit cities for business
and pleasure. As you reach multitudes in the city, they return to rural areas
to share the Gospel and raise up new churches.

Whether it
is change in custom, styles, or laws, such change usually starts first in
cities and then spreads to rural areas. When you reach a city with the Gospel,
it will spread along these natural lines of society into the rural areas.

THE
MESSAGE

The
message of the church planter must be:

A
BIBLICALLY BASED MESSAGE:

New
churches come into existence as a result of the unsaved hearing the Gospel and
accepting Jesus as Savior. When preaching is based on the Bible, it carries
with it the authority of God. Hearers recognize and respond to the power of
the Word of God.

A
CHRIST-CENTERED MESSAGE:

Jesus is
the center of the message that multiplies Churches. People must know who He
is, the importance of His earthly ministry, His death, and resurrection. They
must be taught how to respond to the Gospel and receive salvation and eternal
life.

A
NEED-CENTERED MESSAGE:

People
respond when a message meets their personal needs. A good example of this
method is Jesus and the woman at the well (John 4). His message centered on
her need for natural water.

HOW TO
PLANT A NEW CHURCH:

Several
courses offered by Harvestime Institute cover details of how to actually plant
a new Church. If you are taking the Harvestime Institute courses in their
suggested order, the course you are presently studying is part of a group of
courses on Biblical principles of multiplication.

These
courses include "Developing A Biblical World View,@ "Teaching Tactics,@ "Power Principles" and this course on
"Multiplication Methodologies.@ Each course explains different
parts of God's plan for spiritual multiplication. In addition, the following
courses focus on various aspects of Church planting:

Biblical
Management Principles
will guide you in selecting and developing leaders for the church.

Environmental
Analysis will help
you determine areas responsive to the Gospel and ready for evangelism and
church planting.

Management
By Objectives will
teach you how to identify the purpose of the local fellowship, make plans, and
organize the church.

Mobilization
Methodologies
will help you mobilize the membership.

Leaven-Like
Evangelism
presents church planting as the end goal of evangelism.

To
properly plant and organize churches, you should obtain these courses.
Meanwhile, begin to pray for God's direction as to where He wants you to grow.
If you are the pastor of a church, you need not wonder IF you should multiply.
You have already learned that it is God's will to multiply.

Your
prayers should focus on WHERE you should plant a new church and WHEN, because
timing and location are important keys to spiritual harvest. You want to
multiply in the right place at the right time.

NEW
CHURCHES MUST MATURE

Just as a
new baby in the natural world, a new church may be dependent on the
"mother" church in its early development. But as the new church
matures, it should become a separate, functioning body of believers, also
capable of multiplication through spiritual reproduction. This is the model
for churches raised up by the Apostle Paul.

The extension
church should expand on the basis of Scriptural principles shared in the
chapter on "Expansion Growth.@ To properly mature, each new
extension church must:

1. UNDERSTAND ITS PURPOSES
AND OBJECTIVES:

Each
program or group started in the church should be in harmony with the purpose
and objectives. The Harvestime International Institute course on "Management
By Objectives" explains this in detail.

2. UNDERSTAND BIBLICAL
PRINCIPLES OF ORGANIZATION:

These
include spiritual gifts and offices and training new converts to become
spiritual leaders capable of using their gifts. The Harvestime International
Institute courses on "Biblical Management Principles" and "Management
By Objectives" will assist you in doing this.

3. UNDERSTAND BIBLICAL
QUALIFICATIONS FOR LEADERS:

The
Harvestime International Institute course "Biblical Management
Principles" explains these in detail.

4. BE TAUGHT FOUNDATIONS OF
THE FAITH:

The
Harvestime courses in the "Deputizing" module of Harvestime Institute
will help you accomplish this goal.

5. SETTLE PRACTICAL
QUESTIONS:

These
include the following items:

-Formulating
a doctrinal statement, so visitors will know the Biblical beliefs of the
church.

-Legal
items required by the government for a new church.

-Organization
of the church including leaders, officers, and a procedure for church
finances.

-Location
and ownership of church property.

-The
relationship of the "mother" church to the new extension.

THE
MULTIPLICATION CONTINUES

It is
God's plan for each new church created through extension growth to continue the
cycle of multiplication. The new church should experience internal growth in
spiritual maturity. It should expand in numbers and then extend to plant other
new churches.

Through
this Biblical method, the church will continue to grow and to reach the
"uttermost parts of the world" (Acts 1:8). Here is a diagram that
illustrates this process:

D » C» B »Aº B º C º D

A. The
"mother" church (identified by "A") plants new churches.

B. The new
churches (identified by "B" on the diagram) start other extensions.

C. These
extensions (identified by "C" on the diagram) start other new
extensions....

C Summarize methods Paul used in extending the
Gospel to other cultures.

KEY
VERSE:

...To
open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of
Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance
among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

(Acts
26:18)

INTRODUCTION

The last
chapter concerned extension growth which occurs when a church plants a new
church in a similar culture. It should be considered together with this lesson
which concerns bridging growth.

The same
principles necessary for extension growth of the church are used in bridging
growth and vice versa. This means everything discussed in the last chapter is
applicable to bridging growth. But bridging growth also requires some special
methods and these are the subject of this chapter.

BRIDGING
GROWTH

Bridging
growth occurs when a church extends itself across national, linguistic, or
ethnic gaps to plant a new church in a different culture. The term
"bridging" is used because when this process occurs a
"bridge" is created from one culture to another to communicate the
Gospel. Modern means of transportation and communication have greatly advanced
the potential of the church for bridging growth in even the most remote
areas.

BRIDGING
GROWTH IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

Bridging
growth was part of the plan of the Lord Jesus for extending the Gospel
throughout the world. The disciples were to begin their witness in their own
culture at Jerusalem and then expand to plant churches in other areas of
similar culture.

Next, the
disciples were to bridge national, linguistic, and racial gaps to spread the
Gospel in cultures different from their own to places such as Samaria and the
"uttermost parts of the world" (Acts 1:8). The disciples immediately
fulfilled the command to multiply within their own culture (Acts 2).

Extension
to the other regions of similar culture came as a result of persecution:

...And
at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at
Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of
Judea...

Therefore
they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the Word. (Acts
8:14)

Philip
first bridged the cultural gap in the revival in Samaria recorded in Acts 8.
Peter and John continued the ministry in that area.

The
Apostle Peter had some difficulty in accepting the commission to work cross
culturally. He was a devout Jew and previously had limited contact with
Gentiles (other non-Jewish nations). God spoke to Peter in a vision recorded
in Acts 10 and then Peter took the Gospel to the Gentiles in Caesarea.

The
bridging growth in the New Testament is best illustrated by the ministry of the
Apostle Paul. God called Paul specifically to this ministry. Paul was Jewish,
yet God told him he was:

..
a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles and kings and the
children of Israel. (Acts 9:15)

Because
Paul was called of God to cross-cultural ministry, his methods are important in
understanding bridging growth of the church. Read the story of the conversion
of Paul in Acts 9. The rest of the book of Acts is filled with a record of his
missionary activity in the nations of the world. Many of the New Testament
books are follow-up letters he wrote to the churches he planted in these
various regions (Romans-Hebrews).

METHODS
OF THE APOSTLE PAUL

Paul was
chosen by God as a pattern or example:

Howbeit
for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth
all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on Him
to life everlasting. (I Timothy 1:16)

This is
why Paul's methods can serve as an example in bridging growth of the Church.
Here are some principles of bridging growth revealed in the ministry of Paul:

PROPER
MOTIVES:

Paul was
motivated by the condition of Gentiles without Christ ("Gentiles"
means all nations other than Israel):

Wherefore
remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles...at that time ye were without
Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the
covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world. (Ephesians
2:11-12)

He was
motivated by a sense of obligation:

I
am debtor both to the Greeks, and to the Barbarians; both to the wise, and to
the unwise.

So
as much as in me, is, I am ready to preach the Gospel to you that are at Rome
also. (Romans 1:14-15)

Paul was
motivated by a desire to be obedient to the heavenly vision given by God:

...I
was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision. (Acts 26:19)

He was
motivated by zeal and a burden for God:

Now
while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was stirred in him, when he
saw the city wholly given to idolatry. (Acts 17:16)

He was
motivated by pure love:

But
in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God...by love unfeigned.
(II Corinthians 6:4,6)

PROPER
PRIORITIES:

Paul had
proper priorities. Things that were gain to him...education, material wealth,
position, etc.....he counted as loss in the spiritual realm. Only what
benefitted the cause of Christ was valued:

But
what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ.

Yea
doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and
do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.

(Philippians
3:7-8)

Your
priorities should always be:

1. Your relationship to
God.

2. Your relationship to the
Body of Christ (including your family which is also part of that Body).

3. Your ministry for God.

Relationship
comes before ministry for two reasons:

1. You cannot minister when
your relationship is not right with God.

2. You cannot minister when
your relationship is not right with others.

Members
of the Body of Christ (including your own family) will not

receive
your ministry when your relationship with them is not right.

THE
WORD OF GOD:

The
ministry of Paul was based on the Word of God. As the Word of God spread to
other cultures, churches were planted:

But
the Word of God grew and multiplied. (Acts 12:24)

So
mightily grew the Word of God and prevailed. (Acts 19:20)

And
so were the Churches established in the faith, and increased in number daily.
(Acts 16:5)

THE
GOSPEL MESSAGE:

The Gospel
of the Kingdom of God Paul=s message. He did not substitute
charitable missions in needy nations for the power of preaching the Gospel. He
did not use attention-getting schemes to draw crowds. People were attracted
through the power of the Gospel:

For
I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto
salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the
Greek. (Romans 1:16)

PRAYER:

Paul
prayed for God's direction in spreading the Gospel to other cultures:

And
as they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me
Barnabas and Saul for the work where unto I have called them.

And
when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them
away. (Acts 13:2-3)

THE
HOLY SPIRIT:

The Holy
Spirit was the director of Paul's missionary activities. For example, on one
occasion...

...They
were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia.

(Acts
16:6)

PREACHING,
TEACHING, WITNESSING:

Paul
followed the instructions of the Great Commission to preach, teach, and bear
witness to the Gospel.

And
upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break
bread, Paul preached unto them...(Acts 20:7)

And
how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and
have taught you publicly, and from house to house.

(Acts
20:20-21)

It is not
enough to just communicate the Gospel. The message must be delivered in a way
that it is understood by the hearers. Vocabulary, language, and style of
delivery must be adjusted in order to make the Gospel understood. Paul
recognized and practiced this (see Acts 21:37-40 and 22:2). Acts 26:18
provides a formula for effective communication of the Gospel to people of other
cultures. God sent Paul to the Gentiles...

...To
open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of
Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance
among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

(Acts
26:18)

The Gospel
must be presented in such a way that it:

1.
Opens the eyes of the people.

2.
That they may turn from spiritual darkness to light.

3.
That they may turn from the power of Satan to God.

4.
That they may receive forgiveness of sins through salvation.

5.
That they may receive a spiritual inheritance through sanctification by faith.

His
values: Moral, material, social values; motivation, ways of making decisions.

His
behavior: How he acts, behaves; socially and culturally acceptable behavior.

Acts 26:18
addresses each of these:

Language:
Message effectively communicated is

understood
and received.

Opens
their eyes: º

(verses
1-2) World view: Biblical world view
communicated.

Beliefs:
Message of faith; Gospel of the Kingdom,

changes
their beliefs.

Values
change

That they
may turn and receive:

(verses
4-5) º Behavior
changes

THE
DEMONSTRATION OF POWER:

Paul did not
only communicate the Gospel, he demonstrated it through the power of God:

Through
mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God; so that from
Jerusalem, and round about unto Ilyricum, I have fully preached the Gospel of
Christ. (Romans 15:19)

PLANTING
CHURCHES:

Paul did
not just share the Gospel and then leave new converts unattended. He formed a
body of believers to which the new converts could be attached. He planted
local churches.

Evangelism
without establishing a local body of believers is like bringing children into
the world and then not claiming the responsibility for their care. Here is the
cycle Paul followed in each city where he planted the Gospel:

1. Workers commissioned:
Acts 13:1-4; 15:39-40

Workers
were trained and commissioned to reach a certain area. Believers in the home
church helped prepare, send, support, and cooperate with those God set apart
for the work.

2. People contacted: Acts
13:14-16; 14:1; 16:13-15

In most
areas, Paul made a courtesy contact with existing religious leaders in the
synagogue. He attempted to gain the understanding and support of the local
leaders as much as possible. Group and individual contacts followed, the
objective being to get as wide a hearing as possible for the Gospel message.

3. Gospel communicated:
Acts 13:17; 16:31

The Gospel
was communicated by preaching, teaching, witnessing, and the demonstration of
power. Different methods were used as needed in order to effectively
communicate the Gospel. The method in some cities was to teach in the
synagogue (Acts 14:1). In others, receptive people were separated into special
groups (Acts 19:9). Special ministry to individual people groups occurred in
some areas (Acts 13:42) and language as well as methods were adjusted to assure
proper communication of the Gospel message (Acts 22:2).

4. Hearers converted: Acts
13:48; 16:14-15

The
effective communication of the Gospel resulted in conversion, with people
accepting the message of salvation and repenting of sin.

5. Believers congregated:
Acts 13:43

Paul did
not stop with evangelism and conversion. He congregated the believers into a
local church. New believers were immediately introduced into the fellowship
and discipline of the local church. Times and places were set for the
assembling together of the new church body.

6. Faith confirmed: Acts
14:21, 22; 15:41

As
indicated by the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), further teaching followed
conversion. This teaching, within the context of the local church, established
new converts as they learned basics of the Christian faith and how to live in
the Kingdom of God. The "confirmation of the faith" fostered
spiritual maturity, helping believers discover their spiritual gifts and become
functioning members of the Body of Christ.

7. Leaders consecrated:
Acts 14:23

As
believers matured, local leaders were raised up by God who were qualified for
leadership in the Church. Elders (leaders) were selected from the local
congregation, not imported from other churches or nations. Each church
developed a Biblical organization which was scriptural, functional, and
effective.

8. Church commended: Acts
14:23; 16:40

When
leaders were in place and functioning effectively, dependency on the church
"planters" ceased. An orderly transition was made from the founder
to the new local leaders. The Church was "commended" or turned over
to the Lord as a functioning, local Body of believers.

9. Relationships
continued: Acts 15:36; 18:23

Relationships
continued between the new fellowship and the church planter (Paul) and the
mother church (Jerusalem). Relationships were also established between the new
fellowship and other churches throughout the region to further the spread the
Gospel.

A WORLD
WIDE VISION:

Paul had a
definite world strategy. The Bible record reveals his concern for Asia,
Galatia, Macedonia, Achaia, and Spain, which were whole provinces at the time.

The
locations where Paul established churches were centers of Roman administration,
Greek civilization, Jewish influence, or commercial importance.

Study
these locations where Paul planted churches:

Philipi:
(Acts 16) This was the leading city of Macedonia.

Thessalonica:
(Acts 17:1-10) This was a large, influential commercial city.

Corinth:
(Acts 18:1-11) A commercial metropolis of Greece.

Ephesus:
(Acts 19:1-10) Where the main highways of the Roman empire stretched from Rome
to the east. Strategic port and trading center.

Paul knew
he could reach a greater number of people in the crowded cities. He also realized
that change usually starts in cities and then spreads to the rural areas.

These
great centers of trade and tourism also had people of many nations passing
through for business or pleasure purposes. The cities were on the travel routes
where the natural movement of people occurred. As these visitors were reached
with the Gospel, they would bear the message with them when they returned home.

Paul moved
in widening circles from these established mission bases. After Paul left
Jerusalem he turned his attention to Asia Minor laboring first in Tarsus and
Antioch (Acts 11:25-30;13:1-3), then West Asia-Minor with Ephesus as his center
(Acts 19:1-20;16:8). From there, Paul moved west with Rome as the center and
Spain as the remotest part reached (Acts 19:21; 23:11; 28:14-31; Romans 1:9-15;
15:24, 28).

RECEPTIVE
FIELDS:

Paul's
strategy in bridging growth was affected by the receptivity of people to the
Gospel. In Matthew 10, Jesus told His disciples not to go to Samaritans or
Gentiles but to Israel. The timing was right then for Israel. The other groups
would be receptive to the Gospel later.

Even among
the Jews, the disciples were to minister to the receptive. They were to stay
and share where they received a good response and move on when they met unreceptive
peoples. They were to concentrate their efforts on the areas of greatest
receptivity.

Paul also
followed this strategy. When the Jews rejected the Gospel, Paul turned to the
Gentiles (Acts 13:42-51). When Athens was not ready, Paul went to Corinth. In
Corinth, Paul turned from the Jews to the Gentiles. The receptive Greeks
rejoiced and many believed and were baptized (Acts 18:5-11). The Lord approved
of Paul's actions through a vision telling him to stay in Corinth and
fearlessly proclaim Christ (Acts 18:5-11). When synagogue communities rejected
him, Paul started congregations with those who were receptive. When
persecution drove him out, he went to another city.

HIS OWN
PEOPLE:

Paul was
concerned with reaching his own people with the Gospel:

Brethren,
my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
(Romans 10:1)

UNREACHED
PEOPLES:

Paul gave
priority to areas where Christ had not yet been preached:

Yea,
so have I strived to preach the Gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I
should build upon another man's foundation;

But
as it is written, To whom He was not spoken of, they shall see; and they that
have not heard shall understand. (Romans 15:20-21)

PEOPLE
GROUPS:

Paul
worked with various "people groups" within a city or region. For
example, he ministered both to the Greek and Jewish people groups in Antioch
(Acts 13:42). A people group is a tribe, caste, or any group of like cultural,
linguistic, and ethnic background. It is important to view a city or region in
terms of such groups and plan bridging growth accordingly.

For
example, in one city in the United States there are large populations of
Spanish speaking, English speaking, and Mandarin Chinese speaking peoples.
Bridging growth to plant churches in this city should target these specific
people groups. Planting a Tagalog speaking church in this city would not be
beneficial. There are no Tagalog-speaking groups in the city. This is why
bridging growth to other cultures must always focus on the people groups within
a certain area, not just the city in general.

Planting
churches within certain people groups advances the Gospel most quickly.
Members of a people group all speak the same language and have the same
customs. There are no linguistic or cultural barriers to hinder the spread of
the Gospel. As you learned in a previous chapter, the Gospel spreads most
rapidly through existing lines of society...people who are related, speak the
same language, and have the same customs.

People who
are "like us" can even be broken down into smaller units for purposes
of the Gospel. For example, you do this when you form Sunday school classes
according to age groups. You extend this same concept when you plan to reach
different people groups.

Harvestime
International Institute offers a course entitled "Environmental
Analysis" that assists in analyzing an area prior to ministry. We
suggest you obtain this course to assist in church planting.

The course
will assist you in such areas as:

1. Identifying the people
to be reached. What different people groups make up the city or region? Who
do you plan to reach? What is their religious, cultural, ethnic, and
linguistic background.

2. Identifying their
spiritual needs. For example, is a church needed among the Spanish speaking of
a certain city? Perhaps their needs are being ministered to but the
French-speaking of that area are neglected spiritually.

3. Determining receptivity
to the Gospel.

4. Determining methods you
will use to reach these people. How can they best be reached? Who should
reach them? You must reach people in a way that is understood and culturally
acceptable. For example, if a certain group cannot read, literature evangelism
would not be a profitable method to reach them.

WILLINGNESS
TO ADJUST TO OTHER CULTURES:

Paul was
willing to adjust to people of differing cultures and all different levels of
society (see I Corinthians 9:16-23).

A person
is greatly affected by the culture in which he is raised. People in Culture A
will differ from those in Culture B:

Culture
A Culture B

Home
Culture New Culture



When you
leave your own culture to enter another with the Gospel, you are different.
You may not fit in:



§You¨



But you
can adjust. Like Paul, with the help of the Lord, you can learn to fit in. The
choice is yours: Will you change your cultural patterns for the sake of the
Gospel?



?

CULTURAL
DIFFERENCES:

Paul was
not only willing to adjust to other cultures himself, he did not let cultural
differences affect of the Gospel.

In western
nations if a new convert should have to leave his own family because of
conversion, he joins others like him in the Church. They all speak the same
language and have the same culture. But in other nations where Christianity
means leaving one's clan to join another group, the Gospel will spread slowly.
Some cultures are more communal in nature than western nations. Tribe, caste,
clan, and group are very important.

In New
Testament times when a man became a Christian it did not mean he had to depart
from Jewish customs. Neither did a Gentile have to adopt Jewish customs (such
as circumcision). At first there was a problem with the Jews wanting to impose
cultural requirements on Gentiles who were converted. But Paul said such
things were an unnecessary yoke. You can read the discussion and decision of
the Church council on this matter in Acts 15.

(Note: When
we speak of "culture" we are talking of ways of conduct that vary
from group to group which do not violate moral laws of God's Word. Sinful
practices are never acceptable).

TIMING:

Paul
adjusted the time spent in various cultures according to need. In some places
he stayed only a few days. (Acts 21:4). Other places he ministered for "a
long time" (Acts 14:28). He was mobile and his schedule was governed by
the Holy Spirit.

MASS
COMMUNICATION:

Paul
communicated the Gospel through mass communication. He took the opportunity to
address large crowds:

And
it came to pass in Iconium that they went both together into the synagogue of
the Jews, and so spake, that a great multitude both of the Jews and also of the
Greeks believed. (Acts 14:1)

DISCIPLESHIP:

Paul
preached to multitudes but he also knew the value of investing his life in a
few key men who would be able to teach others also. Timothy was one of these
men as was Titus and even John Mark, who had once refused for discipleship
training (Acts 15:36-40). It was Paul through which the Holy Spirit revealed
God's plan for each believer to multiply spiritually (II Timothy 2:2).

Working
with other believers like Barnabas and Silas, as well as the disciples he
trained, greatly multiplied the ministry of the Apostle Paul. On his second
and third missionary journeys, Paul enlisted the help of coworkers who were
native to the region where they planned to work.

This is a
key principle. Africans can best reach Africans. Indians can best reach their
own people. Asians can best penetrate their own continent with the Gospel.
They speak the language, understand the customs, and have already adjusted to
the lifestyle.

INDEPENDENT
CHURCHES:

Paul
planted independent churches. Although they were related to the mother church
in terms of fellowship and leadership, they were not dependent upon the main
church. Paul did not take support from mission churches, neither is there any
record of him providing support to the new works in other cultures. He raised
up self-supporting churches able to carry on the work of the Gospel without
depending on outside financial support.

All
financial arrangements made for the continuing existence of a new church should
be such that the people themselves can control their own business. If a church
receives its support from another church, denomination, or believers in another
nation then it is dependent upon them. If the sponsoring church or
denomination fails, the new church will also fail. If relations between that nations
are severed, the church will experience difficulties when support from the
other country is cut off.

The same
Lord that turned water into wine and multiplied a few bread and fishes to feed
the multitudes is certainly capable of raising up funds necessary for the
extension of the Gospel.

Authority
to exercise spiritual gifts should be given to the new church at once, with
leadership raised up from within the new congregation. When Paul selected
elders, they were chosen from within the people, not imported from other
regions:

For
this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things
that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee.
(Titus 1:5)

Paul
involved the new churches in all areas of outreach including prayer, giving,
and as co-workers in expanding, extending and bridging growth of the church
(see Acts 20:4; Ephesians 6:19; Philippians 1:5,7; 4:14- 16).

Each
church Paul planted was a new center of spiritual multiplication.

For
from you sounded out the Word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but
also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad... (I Thessalonians
1:8)

Paul
founded new churches on the Word of God and the rock, Christ Jesus. He did not
found them on an organization or denomination or on his own personality.
Creating dependence does not train for independence.

A
SUMMARY OF CHURCH GROWTH TYPES

In the
last few chapters you have learned how the church multiplies through internal,
expansion, extension, and bridging growth.

Study the
following diagrams. These diagrams summarize these types of church growth. The
circles represent a church in your own culture. The square represents a church
in a different culture.

(Answers
to tests are provided at the conclusion of the final chapter in this manual.)

FOR
FURTHER STUDY

1. The church at Antioch
was planted by the church at Jerusalem. After the persecution of Stephen, many
believers left Jerusalem. Some came to the city of Antioch in Syria, the third
largest city in the Roman Empire. There they established a church (Acts
11:19-21).

The
disciples were first called Christians at Antioch. This was the first church in
which "non-Jews" were prominent in the fellowship. The Greeks
(Gentiles) seemed to be the main people in the church. Antioch soon became the
new center of the New Testament churches. The ministry which we have now
received bears the mark of Antioch, not Jerusalem with its narrow concepts of
reaching only the Jewish culture.

2. The spread of the Gospel
by Paul to other cultures is often summarized in the form of three missionary
journeys:

The
fist journey: Acts 13:1-14:28

The
second journey: Acts 15:36-18:22

The
third journey: Acts 18:23-21:14

3. Read Paul's personal
testimony in Acts 22:

Before conversion to Christ: Acts
22:3-5

Conversion: Acts
22:6-11

His general ministry: Acts
22:12-16

His
special mission: Acts 22:17-21

4. Study more about the
cycle Paul followed in each city by reviewing events at Ephesus:

People
contacted: Acts 18:19; 19:1,8,9

Gospel
communicated: Acts 19:4,9,10

Hearers
converted: Acts 19:5,18

Believers
congregated: Acts 19:9-10

Faith
confirmed: Acts 20:20, 27

Leaders
consecrated: Acts 20:17,28: I Timothy 1:3,4;

Church commended: Acts
20:17; Ephesians 1:1-3,15,16

5. Was bridging growth of
the New Testament church effective? Examine the record:

...There
was much rejoicing in that city (Samaria): Acts 8:8

...And
all who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw Him, and they turned to the Lord: Acts
9:35

...The
Word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied: Acts 12:24

...And
the Word of the Lord was being spread through the whole region: Acts 13:49

...The
churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number
daily: Acts 16:5

...All
who lived in Asia heard the Word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks: Acts 19:10

...The
Word of the Lord was growing mightily and prevailing: Acts 19:20

...From
Jerusalem and round about as far as Illyricum Paul fully preached the Gospel of
Christ: Romans 15:19

6. The social and
geographical range of converts in Acts reveals how the New Testament church
bridged social, cultural, and national gaps with the Gospel. A partial listing
includes such people as:

-Barnabas,
a wealthy Levite from Cyprus (4:36-37)

-Stephen,
a Hellenist, a man of learning (6:5, 8-10; 7:1-53)

-The
Ethiopian eunuch of great authority (8:27)

-Saul,
a Pharisee and scholar (9:1)

-Cornelius,
a Roman centurion of Caesarea (10:1-48)

-Simeon,
Lucius, Manaaen of Antioch (13:1)

-Sergius
Paulus, a Roman proconsul of Paphos (13:6-12)

-Lydia,
a businesswoman, of Thyatira (16:14-15)

-A
jailer of Philippi (16:27-34)

-Chief
women of Thessalonica (17:4)

-Dionysius
of Athens (17:34)

-Aquila
and Priscilla of Pontus (18:3)

-An
Alexandrian Jew of authority (18:24-28)

-Publius,
leading man of Malta (28:7-10)

-(See
also Stephanas of Corinth I Corinthians 1:16 and

Philemon of Colossae Philemon l-2)

CHAPTER
TEN

DECISIONS
OR DISCIPLES?

OBJECTIVES:

Upon
completion of this chapter you will be able to:

C Write the Key Verse from memory.

C Define "convert.@

C Define "disciple.@

C Summarize three important aspects of the call
to discipleship.

C Identify nine discipleship principles
revealed in the study of Jesus and His disciples.

C List nine characteristics of a true disciple
of Jesus Christ.

C Explain the true test of discipleship.

KEY
VERSE:

Then
said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (Matthew 16:24)

INTRODUCTION

You hear
often of the "Great Commission" of Jesus, but do you really
understand the mission which Jesus actually gave His followers? Was the
command just to win new converts? Did He challenge them to conduct city wide
rallies and build great church buildings? Did He tell them the priority was
feeding and clothing the poor?

Let us
read His instructions again:

Go
ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost;

Teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with
you alway, even unto the end of the world.

(Matthew
28:19-20)

The
priority was going to all nations, teaching them the Gospel, baptizing them,
and then providing further follow up teaching on all Jesus had commanded.

This was
the priority. It still should be the priority. You can spend your life in
many different ways. You can do good works such as helping the poor. You can
build great church buildings. You can conduct great religious rallies.

But you
must do one thing if you are to fulfill the mission of Jesus: You must
participate in the reaching of all nations with the Gospel message. All other
activities--such as ministering to the poor, building churches, etc.--are valid
only as they contribute to this priority.

But this
reaching of all nations is more than bringing people to a place of decision for
Jesus Christ. To accomplish the Great Commission you must progress beyond
decisions to discipleship.

DECISIONS
OR DISCIPLES?

Two types
of teaching are involved in the commission of Jesus:

FIRST:
TEACHING TO LEAD MEN AND WOMEN TO SALVATION:

People
must hear the Gospel in order to respond to it, repent from sin, and be born
again. Such teaching is also called "evangelism":

Go
ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. (Matthew 28:19)

New
believers are sometimes called "converts.@
A convert is a believer in Jesus who has been born again by faith and has
become part of the Kingdom of God. (The Harvestime International Institute
course entitled "Leaven-like Evangelism" provides training in
how to evangelize and raise up new converts.)

SECOND:
TEACHING AFTER CONVERSION:

After you
have been taught the Gospel and come TO Jesus, you must learn how to follow
AFTER Him:

Teaching
them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with
you alway, even unto the end of the world.

(Matthew
28:20)

The
commission of Jesus reveals that further teaching is to follow conversion and
baptism. New converts are to be instructed in all Jesus taught. This process
is sometimes called "following up" or "shepherding" a new
believer. It is also called "discipleship.@

DEFINITION
OF DISCIPLESHIP

The plan of
Jesus is that you lead converts on to discipleship. A disciple is a convert
who is established in the basics of the Christian faith and capable of raising
up new converts and discipling them. The word "disciple" means a
learner, a pupil, someone who learns by following. It is more than head
knowledge. It is learning that changes a person's lifestyle.

THE
DECISION/DISCIPLE CYCLE

Decision
is only the first step of true discipleship. Converts must progress beyond
decision to become responsible members of the body of Christ capable of raising
up other new believers. Winning new converts is important, but training men and
women to follow Jesus and become spiritually reproductive is equally
important. Each one you train will convert others, disciple them, and train
them to reach others.

This is
the Biblical plan of discipleship demonstrated by Jesus. He chose twelve men,
discipled them, and trained them to reach others. As you learned in Chapter
Four of this course, this "each one-teach one" plan results in
multiplication of believers, churches, and denominations.

But always
keep the objective clear: You are not discipling to build your own ministry or
denomination. The purpose of discipling is to reach all nations for Jesus
Christ.

Achieving
the Great Commission depends not so much on better techniques and greater
technology, but rather on the development of committed disciples. The
following diagram illustrates the continuing cycle of evangelism and
discipleship:

Evangelism
results in new converts. Discipling results in disciples who are able to
evangelize, produce new converts, and disciple them. The cycle then continues
to repeat the same pattern.

THE
CALL TO DISCIPLESHIP

Read Luke
9:57-62 in your Bible. In this passage three men approach Jesus desiring to be
disciples. To each, Jesus reveals a different aspect of what the call to
discipleship involves:

1. CONSIDERED COSTS: (Luke
9:57-58)

The first
man would follow Jesus without waiting to be called. He attempts to become a
disciple through self- effort. Jesus warns him that he does not understand the
meaning of discipleship. Discipleship is not an offer man makes to God. It is
a call of God to man.

Jesus
said, "If you follow me, this is what you will face.@ He explained that true discipleship is costly. It
cannot be achieved through self-effort.

2. PROPER PRIORITIES: (Luke
9:59-60)

The second
man was called by Jesus to "follow.@ To "follow" means to
come after one that goes before, to imitate an example. It involves both belief
and obedience. When Jesus called His 12 disciples, He bid them come and
follow. He did not outline a career path. He did not give details of the
program for life.

The
disciple must leave the old life behind because of the call alone. What
decisions and partings and sacrifices this might require remain unknown. The
follower leaves a life of security for one of insecurity in the eyes of the
world. The commitment is not to a program, but to a person. That person is
the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the
Luke passage, the response of this man to the call to follow was "suffer
me first..." He wanted to follow Jesus, but it was not his priority.
Jesus would never suggest that a follower of His ignore the needs of his
parents (see John 19:25-27). It is a matter of priorities which is stressed in
this story. This man wanted to bury his father first. At the critical moment
when Jesus calls a man to follow Him, nothing must be placed before response to
that call.

In another
passage, Jesus explained in more detail what "following" involves:

Then
said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (Matthew 16:24)

Self-denial
must come before you can take up the cross. The old selfish and sinful nature
must be denied. (Read Romans 7-8 about Paul's struggle in this area). Then you
must take up the cross. The cross is symbolic of the sacrifice, pain,
rejection, insult, and hardship involved in doing God's will. The cross may
even mean a call to death by martyrdom for the sake of the Gospel.

"Taking
up the cross" does not refer to the burdens of life. These are common to
all men. They are the afflictions, trials, disappointments, and depression due
to life in a sinful world. The believer is not excluded from such burdens of
life. He experiences illness, accidents, fire, and natural hazards because he
lives in a world marred by sin. But these burdens are not "taking up the
cross.@ Cross bearing is voluntary, not
something imposed by the burdens of life. It is a continuous (daily) choosing
to deny the desires of self in order to do God's will.

Cross-bearing
is necessary to discipleship. Jesus said, "Whosoever doth not bear his
cross and come after me, cannot be my disciple." Taking up the cross is
not pleasing because it involves self denial. But it must be done voluntarily for
the sake of Christ in order to become His disciple.

To take up
the cross, you must empty your hands of the things of the world. If your heart
is set on money and material things, your hands are too full to take up the
cross. If your time is consumed by pleasure and things that please the flesh,
your hands are too full to take up the cross. After denying self and taking up
the cross, the next step is to follow. You must leave behind the old lifestyle
and old sinful relationships.

You never
enter discipleship by sitting and waiting for it to happen. YOU must take the
first steps: Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow. Matthew could
have remained at the tax table and Peter at his nets. They could both have
pursued their trades honestly and probably would have enjoyed
"spiritual" experiences. But if they wanted to follow in true
discipleship, they had to leave the old situation and enter the new. Matthew
had to leave the tax tables and Peter his nets.

This does
not mean every disciple must leave their job and homes. What it does mean for
all is that it will require a change in lifestyle. In some cases it may also
mean leaving home, jobs and loved ones for the sake of the Gospel. You must
follow wherever Jesus leads. Discipleship must be the priority.

3. ABSOLUTE AIMS: (Luke
9:61-62)

The third
man in Luke 9:57-62 wanted to follow, but he wanted to do so on his own terms.
Bidding his family farewell was a normal thing to do, but Jesus had called him
to follow. What was his real aim in life? Discipleship or doing his own
thing? This man's aims in life were not settled. He was holding back torn
between the old life and the new to Jesus called.

THE
METHOD AND MESSAGE OF DISCIPLES

The call
to discipleship involved a commission to teach all nations. The method of the
disciples was to be witnessing. Jesus said, "Ye shall be my
witnesses" (Acts 1:8). The emphasis was not so much on what they would do
as what they would be. What they did grew out of what they were.

To the
end, the followers of Jesus regarded themselves as witnesses. Toward the close
of his life, Paul said:

Having
therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day witnessing both to
small and great, saying...

...That
Christ should suffer, and that He should be the first that should rise from the
dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles. (Acts
26:22-23)

Witnessing
for the disciples was preaching, teaching, baptizing, and demonstrating the
power of God through miracles and healings. The message of their witness was
the Gospel of the Kingdom of God:

And
this Gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness
unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (Matthew 24:14)

Paul
summarizes the basic elements of the Gospel:

For
I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ
died for our sins according to the scriptures;

And
that He was buried and that he rose again the third day according to the
scriptures...(I Corinthians 15:3-4)

This is what
Paul called the "truth of the Gospel" (Galatians 2:5). Any other
message was unacceptable (Galatians 1:8).

JESUS
AND DISCIPLESHIP

Jesus had
only 3 2 years of ministry in which to do
the work God had sent Him to do. This was a tremendous task. He was able to
visit only a few places during this short period of time and reach only a
limited number of people.

To assure
completion of His mission, Jesus made discipleship a priority. He knew His
disciples and their disciples would reach multitudes of villages and cities
that He would never have opportunity to visit.

Jesus
could have spent all His time feeding and clothing the poor. He could have
built a big church building in Jerusalem. There are many methods He could have
used. But Jesus chose the greatest key of spiritual multiplication. He knew
that by investing His life in a few faithful men a multiplication process
would begin that would never end. His concern was not with programs to reach
the multitudes, but with men capable of reaching the masses.

No matter
what nation you live in, whether you live in a big city or a remote village,
you heard the Gospel because of the faithfulness of the disciples of Jesus. If
we could trace back in history the way the Gospel spread until it reached you,
the path would lead back to one of the original followers of Jesus.

Jesus is
your model for discipleship. If you follow His model, you will realize that
reproductive disciples do not result from a brief seminar. Jesus gave priority
time to discipling.

In
studying the relationship of Jesus and His followers, several principles of
discipleship are revealed. These are important in the process of discipleship:

1. SELECTION:

The
appointment of the 12 Disciples is recorded in Matthew 5:1; 10:2-4; Mark
3:13-19; and Luke 6:12-16. The appointment of the 70 is recorded in Luke
10:1-16. Selection is the first step in the discipleship process. When Jesus
selected disciples, He called common men. Some were uneducated and they all had
faults and failures.

It has
been said that if the original 12 disciples were reviewed by a church mission
board in the present time, they would be turned down for missionary service.
But Jesus operated on the basis of potential, not problems. He did not choose
men and women because of what they were, but because of what they could
become. He looked beyond the problems to their potential.

Every new
convert should be discipled by someone, but you will not be able to disciple
everyone. You are only one person and are limited in the number you can
disciple at any one time. This is why discipleship should be done within the
context of the local church. The pastor can be sure that each new convert is
properly discipled by a mature believer.

How did
Jesus decide who to select as disciples?

First, By depending on God:

I
can of mine own self do nothing... because I seek not mine own will, but the
will of the Father which hath sent me. (John 5:30)

Second, He made it a matter of prayer.
Luke 6:12-13 records that Jesus spent the whole night in prayer before
selecting the men He would train as disciples.

Third, Jesus took the initiative to call
His disciples. People will not flock to you to become disciples of Jesus. You
must take the initiative to call them. Through God's power you must
"make" disciples.

Fourth, Jesus made it clear what
discipleship involved. As you learned, disciples must consider the cost, have
proper priorities, and make discipleship their absolute aim in life.

Discipleship
also involves faithfulness and the ability to teach others. Paul told Timothy
to select faithful men and commit to them the things he had been taught. These
faithful men were to have the ability to teach others. These two qualities are
essential to the multiplication process. If a man is not faithful, he will not
fulfill his responsibility of spiritual reproduction. If he is faithful but
does not know how to teach others, then he will also fail.

Paul spoke
of believers who should have been able to teach others but had not yet matured
spiritually to be able to do so. These people are not yet ready for true
discipleship. They must be

further
instructed in the basics of the faith. Discipleship calls for "faithful
men, able to teach others also.@

Faithful
men are not necessarily faultless men. Do not confuse discipleship with
perfection. Do not focus on problems in the lives of prospective disciples.
Look at their potential. Discipleship is a process that leads to the
"perfecting of the saints" described in Ephesians 4. Even
"faithful men" have problems and weaknesses to overcome as did the
original disciples.

The world
takes talented men and attempts to give them character. They focus on creating
professionals. God said to take "faithful men" of character and He
will empower them with spiritual talents and abilities. Faithful men are
available to accomplish God's purposes. When Jesus called Simon and Andrew,
they "immediately" left their nets. The word "immediately"
reveals their availability.

When you
select men and women to disciple, they must be available. They must be willing
to make discipleship the priority of their lives. Faithful men are motivated
by spiritual vision. When Jesus gave Peter and Andrew the vision of catching
men and women, it motivated them to leave their nets. Faithful men have a
hunger for the Word of God, as did Christ's disciples. Their "hearts
burned within them" as He shared the Scriptures (Luke 24:32,45). They
were willing and eager to be taught.

2. ASSOCIATION:

When Jesus
called His disciples, He called them to "be with Him.@ He shared His life intimately with His disciples.
He spent time with them in both formal ministry situations and informal
circumstances. Discipleship will not happen through committee meetings or
Sunday worship services alone. There must be close association with those whom
you disciple. You must share your life with them.

3. CONSECRATION:

Out of
association with Jesus, consecration developed. Jesus called His disciples to
consecration to a Person, not a denomination or organization. Such
consecration to God called for absolute obedience to His Word and purposes (see
John 4:34; 5:30; 15:10; 17:4; and Luke 22:42).

4. VISION:

Jesus
motivated His followers by giving them spiritual vision. He called them to a
task greater than the routine of everyday living. He called His followers to
be fishers of men (Matthew 4:19). He gave them a vision of worldwide spiritual
harvest (John 4:35). He challenged them with the revelation of the Kingdom of
God (Matthew 13).

Without
vision, people perish (Proverbs 29:18). They have no direction and no
motivation. Discipleship must include the communication of spiritual vision to
motivate the mission. The vision is world-wide conquest with the Gospel of the
Kingdom. Never be distracted by a lesser cause.

5. INSTRUCTION:

Jesus
spent much of His time teaching His disciples. His instruction always related
to the vision He had given them. If you are to train disciples following the
methods of Jesus, then you must teach what Jesus taught. This is part of the
command of the Great Commission (Matthew 28:20). Emphasis should be on the
teachings of Jesus and what was revealed as these teachings were put into
practice in the first Church.

Harvestime
International Institute curriculum provides such discipleship training. In the
final chapter of this course, you will learn how to multiply through
establishing extension centers in which to teach these courses. Harvestime
also offers a course entitled "Teaching Tactics" which trains
you to teach using the methods of Jesus.

As you
teach what Jesus taught, you teach the entire revelation of God's Word because
it is based on the Old Testament. Jesus said:

...These
are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things
must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets,
and in the psalms concerning me...

...Thus
it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead
the third day:

And
that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all
nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (Luke 24:44,46-47)

6. DEMONSTRATION:

Jesus did
not teach through verbal instruction alone. He demonstrated what He taught.
He taught healing and demonstrated it by healing the sick. He taught the
authority of the believer over Satan and demonstrated it by casting out demons.
He taught concern for the poor and illustrated it by feeding the multitudes.

The
disciples were not only students, they were eye witnesses to the demonstration
of God's power. They later said they were teaching "That which we have
seen and heard" as "eye witnesses" (I John 1:1).

Jesus
taught by example. He demonstrated what He said by how He lived and
ministered. He said:

For
I gave you an example that you also should do as I did to you.

(John
13:15)

The
demonstration of God's power makes people listen to your message:

And
the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake,
hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. (Acts 8:6)

Paul spoke
not only of the truth of the Gospel (Galatians 2:5) but of the power of the
Gospel (Romans 1:16). He declared and demonstrated the Gospel (I Corinthians
2:1,4).

Because of
the importance of the demonstration of power in the process of multiplication,
Harvestime International Institute has a course entitled "Power
Principles" devoted to this subject.

7. PARTICIPATION:

Mere
knowledge is not enough. To be effective, knowledge must be applied. There
comes a time for action. The disciples not only listened to the teachings of
Jesus and observed the demonstrations of power, they also participated.
Teaching a subject is not enough to assure learning. Teaching alone is like
trying to learn brain surgery by reading a book.

Disciples
must have actual experience in what they are learning. They must gain
experience in how to share the Gospel, how to pray for the sick, how to cast
out demons, etc. Jesus provided such opportunities for His disciples. Read
Mark 6:7-13 and Luke 9:1-6. Jesus sent His disciples out to experience what
they had been taught. Make sure your disciples become doers of the Word and
not hearers only.

8. SUPERVISION:

When the
disciples of Jesus returned from their ministry trip, Jesus evaluated their
efforts (Luke 9:10). Throughout the entire training process Jesus supervised
His disciples. They were not left alone in their struggles. He was there to
correct, rebuke, and encourage them.

You cannot
assume that the work will be done merely because you have shown a willing
worker how to do it and sent him out with glowing expectations. You must
supervise. As disciples meet frustration and obstacles, you must teach them how
to meet these challenges.

Supervision
is sometimes called "follow-up.@ Paul supervised or "followed
up" his disciples:

And
after he had spent some time there, he departed and went over all the country
of Galatia, and Phyrgia in order, strengthening all the disciples. (Acts
18:23)

Confirming
the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and
that we must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God. (Acts
14:22)

9. DELEGATION:

The final
stage of the discipleship process was when Jesus delegated His followers to
become disciple-makers themselves. He gave them the task of spiritual
multiplication throughout the nations of the world.

CHARACTERISTICS
OF A TRUE DISCIPLE

Disciples
of Jesus should become mature believers with the fruit of the Holy Spirit
evident in their lives and spiritual gifts in operation in their ministries.

There are
many characteristics of a true disciple of Jesus when you consider the total
revelation of God's Word, but Jesus emphasized nine specific characteristics.
A disciple is one who:

1. FORSAKES ALL:

He leaves
everything to follow Jesus:

So
likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot
be my disciple. (Luke 14:33)

2. DENIES SELF:

A true
disciple must deny himself by voluntarily taking up the cross of discipleship:

Then
said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. (Matthew 16:24)

And
whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
(Luke 14:27)

3. FOLLOWS JESUS:

Then
said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny
himself, and take up his cross, and follow. (Matthew 16:24)

4. MAKES THE KINGDOM OF GOD
HIS PRIORITY:

Therefore
take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or What shall we drink? or,
Wherewithal shall we be clothed?...

But
seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things
shall be added unto you. (Matthew 6:31,33)

5. DEMONSTRATES GOD'S LOVE:

By
this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to
another. (John 13:34-35)

The word
"abide" means to remain or continue. A disciple is in a continual
process of learning and applying the truths of God's Word.

7. IS OBEDIENT:

Abiding in
the Word is more than learning. It is acting upon what is learned. It is
obedience. It is not enough to read, study or memorize the Word. It must be
translated into a lifestyle. Abiding includes obedience.

8. IS A SERVANT:

The
disciple is not above His master, nor the servant above His lord. (Matthew
10:25)

But
it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be
your minister:

And
whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant;

Even
as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give
His life a ransom for many. (Matthew 20:26-28)

9. GLORIFIES GOD THROUGH
FRUITFULNESS:

A disciple
is to glorify God through fruitfulness:

Herein
is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.
(John 15:8)

When you
bear spiritual fruit you develop the fruit of the Holy Spirit in your life
(Galatians 5:20-23). You also bear fruit by reproducing spiritually (John
15:1-16).

THE
TRUE TEST OF DISCIPLESHIP

The true
test of discipleship is what happens when you are no longer present with those
whom you have discipled. Do they continue to be faithful to what you have
taught them? Do they teach others who are capable of continuing the
multiplication process? If so, your discipleship process is successful:

A
disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully taught will be
like his teacher. (Luke 6:40 Revised Standard Version)

In your
training of others, expect problems such as Jesus experienced...

-On
one occasion, Peter, James and John displayed a hateful attitude by wanting to
call fire from heaven to destroy an unreceptive Samaritan village (Luke
9:51-55).

-Peter
denied the Lord three times (Luke 22:54-62).

-All
three were asleep in the Garden of Gethsemane when they were told to pray
(Luke 22:45-46).

But this
handful of men were worth the investment of the time and ministry of Jesus.
They proved to be faithful men, despite their faults and failures. When Jesus
was no longer with them they continued the process of multiplication to the
nations of the world. Jesus said:

The
harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few. (Matthew 9:37)

Harvesters...men
and women capable of spiritual reaping...are still few. Are you willing to
give your life to be part of the few?

A
shepherd is a guide, watchman, and guard over the sheep. He rescues them from
danger, binds up their wounds, loves, and feeds them. Think about these duties
of a shepherd and how they are similar to caring for those whom you are
discipling. Read the following verses: Matthew 9:36-38; Mark 3:14- 15; John
21:15-17; Acts 20:28.

2. The repeated call of
Jesus Christ was a call to follow. The words "follow,@ "follow me,@ and "come after me" are
used by Jesus more than 20 times. They are addressed to:

Simon
and Andrew: Matthew 4:19; Mark 1:17

James
and John: Matthew 4:21; Mark 1:20
(implied)

Matthew: Matthew
9:9; Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27

Philip: John
1:43

Peter: John
21:19,22

The
rich young ruler: Matthew 19:21; Mark
10:21; Luke 18:22

Another
of His disciples: Matthew 8:22

Any
man: Matthew 16:24; Mark
8:34;

Luke
9:23; John 12:26

Paul
speaks of himself as a follower of Jesus and calls upon the Corinthians to
follow him (I Corinthians 11:1). Similar instructions go to the Ephesians
(Ephesians 5:1); the Philippians (Philippians 3:17); and the Thessalonians (I
Thessalonians 1:6).

3. The word
"disciple" is not used in the Old Testament, but the principle of
discipling is apparent:

Joshua
was a disciple of Moses: Deuteronomy 3:28

Elisha
was a disciple of Elijah: II Kings 2

A
school of prophets trained disciples: II Kings 2:4

4. Note how the Apostle
Paul followed up his disciples:

With
letters: I Thessalonians 1:1

With
prayer: I Thessalonians 1:2;
3:10

By
sending representatives: I Thessalonians 3:1-5

By
personal contact: I Thessalonians 2:18

5. The Apostle Paul
invested his life in training faithful men and women. There are 125 names in
the Bible recorded in connection with Paul's ministry. Learn more about discipleship
as you study the following references which focus on his followers:

Blessed
is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, not standeth in the
way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.

But
his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and
night.

And
he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his
fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth
shall prosper. (Psalms 1:1-3)

INTRODUCTION

There are
many factors which affect the normal growth and development of the human body.
Lack of proper food retards physical growth. Various diseases also affect
development. When there is lack of growth in the human body, a remedy must be
found to correct the problem or else growth will be "stunted.@ When growth is "stunted,@ the body does not develop properly.

As you
have learned, the Bible compares the church to a physical body. Like a physical
body, its growth and development is affected by many factors. Sometimes
problems occur in the church. These problems can "stunt" spiritual
growth. When spiritual growth is "stunted" the church does not
multiply properly. There is a lack of new converts and disciples and an
absence of spiritual maturity.

Jesus said
"I will build my church.@ We cannot cause multiplication
ourselves, but we can remove conditions that prevent growth. When we do so, we
are creating the proper spiritual climate in which growth can occur. This
chapter lists common problems that prevent multiplication. For each problem a
Biblical remedy is provided.

STUNTED
GROWTH

PROBLEM:
LACK OF SPIRITUAL FOOD.

A human
body must have natural food and water or it will die. The spiritual body must
have spiritual food and water or it will die. Some churches do not teach the
Word of God at all. They teach doctrines of men. They say what people want to
hear (II Timothy 4:3). Spiritual malnutrition is the result of a famine of the
Word of God (Amos 8:11-12). Others teach only the "milk" of the
Word and people never mature spiritually. Believers neglect Bible study or
never go beyond the basic truths to the "meat" of God's Word. As a
natural body dies without food, so will the spiritual body.

Remedy:

Renew
emphasis on the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Teach both the milk and meat of the
Word (I Corinthians 3:1; I Peter 2:22; Hebrews 5:12-14). A human baby cannot
live on milk alone forever. A growing child must learn to eat solid foods.
The spiritual body of Christ cannot exist on the "milk" of the word
alone. A growing spiritual body must learn to eat the "meat" of the
Word of God. The Word of God is "the bread" of spiritual life. The
Word is our spiritual food. Basic truths easily understood are called the
"milk" of the Word. More advanced teachings in the Bible are called
the "meat" of the Word.

PROBLEM:
LACK OF VISION:

The Bible
says "where there is no vision, the people perish" (Proverbs 29:18).
The spiritual vision of some people is limited to their own families and
communities. Others are preoccupied with faraway places with strange sounding
names, while people right outside their church doors die without Christ.

Remedy:

A balance
must be achieved between local and world-wide spiritual vision. The church
must develop a global vision while not neglecting those in its own community.
This is the vision Jesus gave His disciples of the spiritual harvest which is
ready to reap. The field is the world. "Lift up your eyes and
look": This is the vision shared by Jesus with His followers which
changed the purpose and destiny of their lives (John 4).

PROBLEM:
SHALLOW GROWTH.

Read the
parable of the sower in Mark 4:1-20. When the seed of the Word of God does not
take root in your life, shallow spiritual growth results. When persecution and
difficult times come, you die spiritually (Mark 4:17).

Remedy:

Teach the
people that reading, hearing, and teaching the Word of God is not enough. They
must become doers of the Word. It must change their lives (James 1:22-25). It
is the entrance of the Word into the heart that brings change (Psalms 119:130).

PROBLEM:
LACK OF PRUNING.

Churches
often have unproductive methods and programs. When such activities are not
pruned, fruit bearing ceases. Without pruning, the slow but sure process of
death destroys life. In the natural world when a tree is not pruned it may
continue to stand upright, but it is dead. There is no fruit, no growth and
multiplication. The structure is there, but the life is gone. The same is
true in the spiritual world.

Remedy:

In the
natural world, unproductive branches must be pruned in order for the plant to
bear more fruit. In the spiritual world, we must prune unproductive activities
from our lives and churches. Methods and programs which do not result in
evangelism and discipleship must be "pruned.@

Each
meeting, program, and activity of the church should be evaluated. Analyze
unfruitful works to discover why they are unfruitful. Remember: Pruning is
not just getting rid of unproductive branches. The purpose is seeking ways to
cause more effective growth and spiritual fruit (see John 15).

PROBLEM:
FAILURE TO IDENTIFY RESPONSIVE AREAS.

In the
parable of the sower in Mark 4:1-20, there was responsive and unresponsive soils.
Little growth occurred in unresponsive areas.

Remedy:

There are
unresponsive areas in the world with little opportunities for multiplication.
There are other areas ready for spiritual harvest which offer great
opportunities for the spread of the Gospel.

Responsive
peoples must be identified and efforts concentrated in these areas. When Paul
heard that the Holy Spirit was bringing Gentiles to discipleship in Antioch, he
promptly left Tarsus and went to Antioch. When the timing was not right for Asia,
Paul concentrated on responsive areas until God opened the door to Asia.
Concentrate efforts on responsive areas. Continue sowing and waiting for
proper timing in fields not yet ripe unto harvest.

PROBLEM:
WRONG PRIORITIES.

Spiritual
leaders have wrong priorities when they are more concerned with church business
than prayer and ministry of the Word of God. Priorities are given to secondary
projects such as good works, building projects etc. Maintenance becomes more
important than mission.

Remedy:

Jesus said
nothing about building great buildings, Christian retreat centers, and other
such projects. While these are not wrong in themselves, multiplication is
hindered when such projects are given more emphasis than evangelism and
discipleship. A problem with priorities and its solution is recorded in Acts
6:1-6. When spiritual leaders began to give their time to prayer and ministry
of the Word of God, multiplication resulted (Acts 6:7).

PROBLEM:
MINISTRY NOT RELATED TO THE PEOPLE.

Some churches
have ceased to grow because the ministry did not relate to the people. Perhaps
the minister was not one of the people. He was of another culture and could
not relate to them properly in language, customs, etc.

Remedy:

Leadership
should be raised up from the local church as soon as possible after a church
has been planted (Titus 1:5). Local leaders of the same culture and language
normally can communicate the Gospel most effectively.

PROBLEM:
"COME AND SEE" RATHER THAN "GO AND TELL.@

Many churches
have adopted a "come" strategy rather than the "go" method
commanded by Jesus. These churches plan services and programs and try to get
unbelievers to "come" to church. They never "go" out into
the world to reach people with the Gospel and bring them in. They open their
doors and wait for the people, but no one comes. In such a church, members may
be busy every night of the week with meetings. Conventions, seminars, and
workshops have replaced evangelism.

Remedy:

The church
is supposed to be God's base of operation in the world. But the church has
become the field of operations rather than a base which sends disciples into
the fields of the world to minister and multiply. The church must stop
evangelizing itself and start evangelizing the world. The church should be a
place where believers are trained and equipped to go out into the world where
sinners are and win them to Christ. The "go" strategy of Jesus must
be emphasized (Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8).

PROBLEM:
UNCONFESSED SIN.

Unconfessed
sin in the lives of church members hinders spiritual growth.

Remedy:

Study the
instructions given by Paul to the Corinthian church to deal with unconfessed
sin in members (see I Corinthians 5:11-13). If the erring member repents, he
is to be accepted back into fellowship (see II Corinthians 2:4-8).

PROBLEM:
UNRESOLVED PERSONAL PROBLEMS.

Conflict
arises when members of the Church body have unresolved personal problems
between them. If these conflicts are not properly dealt with, division can result.
Unresolved problems hinder the multiplication process.

Remedy:

Matthew
18:15-17 gives specific instructions for correcting problems between members of
the body of Christ. Study also the example of Paul in Barnabas in Acts
15:36-41. If problems are handled properly, even division can result in
multiplication which will benefit God's Kingdom.

PROBLEM:
UNQUALIFIED SPIRITUAL LEADERSHIP.

Church
growth is affected when leaders do not meet the spiritual qualifications
outlined in the Bible. The standards for church leaders established by God are
spiritual qualifications. He is not concerned about education and abilities as
much as with the true spiritual condition of man (see I Samuel
16:7).

Remedy:

A leader
should resign from his position until he sets his "own house" (his
personal spiritual life and family) in order. Leaders should meet the
qualifications listed in I Timothy 3 and Titus 1:5-9.

PROBLEM:
RESISTANCE TO CHANGE.

People
have a tendency to resist change. Many are content with things the way they
have been for the last 40 years. They do not readily accept new methods.

Remedy:

Remember
that the purpose of the church to evangelize and multiply spiritually never
changes. The methods to accomplish these purposes do. It is true that we
should use Biblical methods of the early church, but the world has changed
since that time. We cannot reject new methods just because they were not used
in Bible times.

For
example, you should not refuse to use things like printing presses, computers,
and tape recorders to spread the Gospel just because Paul did not use them.
These methods did not exist in that time. Recognize that tradition can hinder
God's plan (Mark 7:13). Teach people to expect new things from God (Isaiah
43:19).

PROBLEM:
COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS.

Multiplication
is hindered by the manner in which the Gospel is communicated. Ministers try
to impress their people with great words and a display of theological
knowledge. They do not communicate at the level of human need. Their actions
are not in harmony with their words.

Remedy:

The Gospel
must be communicated so it can be understood by the listeners. Preachers,
teachers, and evangelists must communicate at the level of their audience
instead of trying to impress with great words and a display of theological
knowledge. When Jesus taught, the common men heard and understood Him (Mark
12:37).

Communication
must be adapted to all levels of society and education (Romans 1:14). Verbal
communication must be in harmony with lifestyle. We must be doers of the Word
as well as communicators. The communication of our faith is effective only when
the things of God are evident in our lives (Philemon 6).

PROBLEM:
CULTURAL, GEOGRAPHIC, DENOMINATIONAL SEPARATION.

Some churches
do not reach out to people in their community because "they are not like
us.@ They do not minister to those who
are culturally different, are of a different race, or speak another language.
Some churches refuse to cross geographic boundaries. They do not want people
from another area of town or a different region coming to their church. Some
people reject fellowship with members of other denominations. Some have so
separated themselves from the world that they no longer multiply because they
have no contact with unbelievers.

Remedy:

See
Ephesians 2:14. There are no walls of separation in Christ. The church has
built walls of separation which must come down. We must cross cultural,
linguistic, geographic, and denominational lines to reach people where they
are.

We must
lay aside these weights and sins and focus on the task of reaching the world
with the Gospel (Hebrews 12:1-2). We are not to isolate ourselves from the
world. We are to be in the world, but not partakers of its sinful ways (John
17:15). Separation from the world does not mean isolation or segregation.

PROBLEM:
SPECTATORS INSTEAD OF PARTICIPATORS.

Spectators
are people who view but do not participate in the plan of God. They do not
reproduce spiritually. They leave evangelizing and discipling to the
"professional" ministers. A church filled with spectators will not
grow.

Remedy:

Each
member must recognize his personal responsibility to the Great Commission
(Matthew 28:19-20). Members must be led in discovery and use of their
spiritual gifts to enable the church body to function properly (II Timothy
1:6).

Ministers
must equip members for the work of the ministry (Ephesians 4:12). Each person
must become reproductive, and each home must become a center of evangelism (II
Timothy 2:2).

PROBLEM:
CONVERTS DO NOT BECOME DISCIPLES.

New
believers are not developed into disciples. They either return to the old life
of sin or remain spiritual babies who are incapable of reproduction.

Remedy:

Converts
must be developed into disciples and equipped for ministry if the
multiplication process is to continue. Evangelism is not complete until a
convert is made an active disciple of Christ. Teaching is to follow evangelism
as well as precede it (Matthew 28:19-20).

PROBLEM:
FEAR.

Fear of
failure is the greatest enemy of multiplication. Read the parable of the
talents in Matthew 25:14-30. The servant who was afraid was unprofitable. He
did not multiply spiritually.

Remedy:

Develop a
relationship with God based on love instead of fear (I John 4:18).

PROBLEM:
EMPHASIS ON WORK RATHER THAN WORSHIP.

Plans,
programs, and business of the church can replace true worship. A service can
be filled with announcements, fund raising, special presentations, and planned
programs.